


Daniel and Susan's Story

by bushie1313



Series: Daniel's Story [2]
Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-12-16
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:41:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 38
Words: 138,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23431849
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bushie1313/pseuds/bushie1313
Summary: Life moves on, and our story continues.
Relationships: The Wilde Family and friends
Series: Daniel's Story [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1749124
Comments: 9
Kudos: 11





	1. Birthday

We hug Gab and then step through the veil. We didn’t know what to expect, but finding ourselves in the universe was not one of them. there are what look like comets whizzing by, and stars, and planets. One of the comets slows down and comes to rest Infront of us. “Hello Susan and Daniel, what are you doing here? It’s not your time yet, I was expecting Nick and Judy”. “Sir we are here because we gave away our life’s energy to our parents”. “Why would you do this”? “Sir our family needs our parents, we were hurt worst than they were. So, we decided to give them our energy, so they could love our family, and help strangers that they will encounter on the job in the future”. “Very noble Daniel, do you agree with this Susan”? “Yes Sir, we talked it over with our bond as we walked towards the veil, and there was no hesitation on either of our parts”. “Are your parents that important to you”? “Yes sir, they are”. “Yes, I can see that, they are important to me too. I brought them together in the first place. They became what I hoped they would, they became the hero’s of Zootopia”.

“As for you two, what am I to do with you”? “We don’t know sir; can you send us back”? “I could but what have you learned so far”? I look at Susan we node our heads to each other. “Nothing Sir, you have taught us nothing”. “So, I’m a teacher now”? “Yes Sir, all higher beings can teach us lower beings something”. “Do you know who I am”? “No sir, are you God”? The universe seems to shake with his laughter. “Gab told me you had a wicked sense of humor, and I kind of like it. No, I’m not God, I’m Ockny, (ock/knee) I am judge, jury, and executioner of souls. I judge the souls that come to me, and send them on, or send them back, or throw them to the far reaches of the universe, there they take millennium to make their way back. Hopefully they do a lot of introspective on themselves, if not I throw them away again until they learn”.

“What are you going to do with us”? “I could pass you on, but you said you wanted to learn”. “Yes sir, we want to learn”. “All right, I could teach you the ways of power, but there is a cost. What will the two of you give me, for me to teach you”? We thought long and hard about what we had, and nothing came to mind. We were about to say nothing when Susan came up with an idea. “Sir, we offer you our youth”. “I accept, but be warned if you fall to learn, I will throw you so far away you may never come back”. “We accept your terms”. “First lesson is breathing power”. Ockny surrounds us with power. “Now I want you to breath in like you still had lungs”. Susan and I take a big breath, we choke as the power seems to burn. “Again, you must make the power part of you”. We take a second breath and it’s a little easier. We keep breathing in power until we feel no pain from it. “Good, now we begin”.

Peter and Victor disconnect the ventilators and shut them down. They pull the trachea tubes out of Susan and Daniel, and we all watch the oxygen saturation levels fall. 90%...80%...70%...60%...50%. their hearts start to speed up. 40%...30%...20%. Peter looks away at this point he can’t look at the end. No one else is looking, they are looking at other family members, and holding them and they are all crying. After 30 seconds Peter begins to wonder why their hearts are still going.

He looks up, and the monitor reads 25%. He thinks it can’t be. He jumps to the front of the bed and pulls an oxygen tube off the wall and sticks it into Daniel’s left nostril. “Peter what are you doing”? He ignores the question and putting another tube into Susan’s right nostril, turns the oxygen to 10 millibars. After about twenty seconds the oxygen saturation monitors go to 50% then 80% and steadies out at 95%. He then turns it to 5 millibars. “Peter what’s happening”? Their hearts slow down to a normal level. Peter looks at Nick and Judy with a big grin on his face. “Guys, their breathing on their own, their alive”.

A cheer goes around the room, and through the observation gallery. “Nick, Judy, they’re not out of the woods yet, but the sun is shining on them both”. Nick and Judy just cling to each other and softly cry. “Terry can you sense them”? “No dad, I can’t, all I’m getting is white noise, which is more than I had 10 minutes ago. When Daniel broke his arm, all we got from him was a white noise, if I had to say, they are in there, but so far down we may never reach them”. “But Terry it’s a start”, “Yes, dad it is”.

They wheel Susan and Daniel to a long-term care bed. They are put in the same bed with their paws joined. Nothing happens for about two weeks. Nick and Judy visit every day, they hold their paws and then kiss them on the head before leaving for their own room.

“Nick, Judy we have a strange development with Susan and Daniel”. “How strange Peter”? “It seems that in the accident their pituitary glands were activated. They are both growing and maturing”. “What does this mean Peter”? It means that we are having to feed them, and they are getting bigger”. “Do I have your permission to move them to the research wing? What’s happening to them has never been seen before”. “Will we still be able to see them every day”? “Yes, oh God yes, it just means that we will be studying them, they will be more closely monitored, than if we left them here”. Judy looks at Nick they both nod to each other. “Yes, Peter you can”.

All the kits have a dislike for the lab, they never wanted to go back and be studied. Peter convinced them that they needed a base line to study Susan and Daniel from. They all agreed to be part of this study. The first discovery was their 5% DNA. They still couldn’t tell what it was, but confirmed they all had it. They asked for DNA samples from the rest as well. The conclusion was all the kits in the family had this 5% DNA, even Scott. Second discovery was their blood type. They didn’t know how they all had the same blood type, but came to the conclusion it probably had something to do with their DNA. The bone setters were taken off about a week later, the bones as they grew just fused together. Davis and Rick had an idea about stimulating the muscles so they wouldn’t anthropeia, they started to work on their idea.

Over the months Daniel and Susan grew. Davis and Rick had come up with an “Electro muscular stimulation system” that they could wear. The results were less than satisfying, until Mavis programed the computer operating it. Cindy got them a patient for it. The results were off the charts, the suit worked so well, that they were actually putting on muscle mass. When word got out about the suit, Terry had to set up a company to manufacture them. Everyone wanted one, to work out while sleeping. At this point they priced the suits so high, as to stop frivolous use of the suit. But rich mammals didn’t care about price. They then lowered the price but put the stipulation on the purchase that they had to buy one for their local hospital. They then started to see if it could help paraplegics.

After about nine months Daniel and Susan stopped growing, which was a good thing as they were on the tall end for their respective species. Susan was at four feet tall, which is 6 inches taller than the average jack rabbit. Daniel was 4 feet 4 inches tall; he was taller than Nick by four inches, Nick was average height. As no new information was being gathered, they put them back in long term care. Through it all their condition never changed.

“So, you two, I have taught you everything I am willing to at this time, I am very proud of you both”. “Thank you Ockny, we will be the best that we can be”. “Oh, I know you will be, I’ll be watching.As a final gift to you, I’m taking you off the wheel of time”. “What does that mean, Sir”? “It means that you won’t age and die. You can still be killed, but death won’t seek you out”. “We are immortal”? “In a manner of speaking, like I said you can still be killed. Now go back you two with my blessing”. “Thanks, Ockny”.

We then travel back to the meadow to see Gab. We appear in the meadow as ourselves not the glowing balls of light we had been used to. We appear as we last remember we looked like. Gab had been waiting for us. “Welcome back you two”, he says as we hug him. “Gab tell us the truth, when you told us that only two could go back, that wasn’t the truth was it”. “Yes, Daniel it was, you two were going to die from your injuries. But I wanted the next level of training for you two, and that could not happen with out you sacrificing yourselves. You had to believe it was the only way”. “Couldn’t you have just told us”? “No, the test was to see if you had the heart to sacrifice your selves for others”. “Gab is something going to happen that individuals like us needed to be created”? “Not now, but maybe in the future, yes”. “Go home you two, you have earned a rest with your family”. “Thanks Gab”.

We appear in the house and move around looking at everything. Grandma and grandpa and all our siblings and littermates were sleeping, dad and mom must be at work, and DeDe wasn’t in the house ether. We then float to the computer room to talk to Mavis.

We touch Mavis’s case to communicate with her. “Hi Mavis”, **“who are you? Better yet where are you”?** “Mavis if you look in your room you will see two floating balls of light just touching your case”. **“Yes, I can see that, but who are you”?** “Mavis it’s Daniel I’m the red ball of light and Susan is the gold ball of light”. **“You can’t be they are still in their room”.** “Mavis we are going to re-enter our bodies in a few minutes, can you cancel any alarms that would alert someone we were awake”? **“I can, but why should I do this”?** “I have a wicked sense of humor don’t you remember”? **“Yes, I remember”.** “Also, can you keep all the monitors readings the same, so that no one knows we are awake”? **“I can do this as well”.** “Good this is going to be a big surprise for them”. **“Yes, I’m sure it will”.**

We float back to our room. And look at ourselves, “wow we are so big”. “Well, we did trade away our youth for training”. With that we enter our bodies. We start to move around, we both feel so heavy, and awkward. “Mavis what are we wearing”? **“You are wearing an “electro Muscular Simulation System” or a stim suit for short”.** “What does it do”? **“It stimulates muscles so they don’t anthropeia**. **How do you both feel”?** “I feel heavy and weak”, replied Susan. **“Can you sit up”?** “With a little difficulty yes, we can”. **“I should call someone”.** “Please don’t, we will be fine. How long have we been like this”? **“Daniel you and Susan have been in a coma for twenty-one months, it’s now 3 AM, and it’s your birthday today, happy birthday you two”.** Susan and I look at each other, “kind of ironic don’t you think? Mavis do you need a new voice print”? **“No Daniel, as soon as you and Susan started talking, I got the new voice prints”.**

“Daniel there’s something wrong with my vision. I can only see darkness out of my right eye, but I see everything in black and white out of my left”. “You appear to have night vision in your left. There are no lights on in the room. My night vision is in black and white”. We slowly climb to our feet and disconnect the wires attached to us; we pull out the I’vs and using the bed frame for support I move around to the other side of the bed, and just hold Susan. I then get kind of flustered as I just notice that Susan has breasts and is holding them against me. She just laughs softly, “I’m not the only one holding some thing against the other”. I just get a little more flustered. “We need a shower Daniel; we are a little ripe”. “Yes, we are, but you smell like a summer’s day with over tones of cinnamon”. “And you smell like the forest after a rain, with a hint of earthiness”.

“I wonder if we have clothes”? We move to the dresser; Susan seem a little hesitant. “What’s wrong”? “I feel like I’m going to fall on my face”. “Well you do have some extra weight out front”. “Yes, thank you for stating the obvious”. She lightly punches my shoulder. There’re clothes in our size in the dresser, I can smell grandma on them. we will have to thank her.

We open the door and as quiet as we can be, head for the shower room. We take the elevator, as we don’t trust ourselves to the stairs. We go to one of the private showers, as we are feeling a little self conscious. I offer to scrub her back and she agrees. I scrub a lot of lose fur off of her, and I may have coped a feel or two. Susan does my back, and hugs me from behind, she puts her paws on a very sensitive part of my anatomy, and giggles. “We will use this” she says, “but not until we are close to 100%”. I have to agree, we do need a bit more stamina. After the blow dry with the body blower, we get dressed, and head back up stairs to the kitchen.

I go to the cupboard and get the peanut butter and bread, and placing that on the table, go get two glasses and the carrot juice out of the fridge. We sit down at the table to eat our sandwiches. Small meal done we just hold each other for a few. I then go make some coffee. “Mavis can you wake Peter and Vivian up, but can you make it seem like they woke up on their own”? **“I can do that”.**

Peter wakes up and nibbles on Vivian’s neck. Vivian just sighs, and rolling over plants one on his muzzle. “Good morning my love, and happy anniversary”. “Peter it’s only 4 AM what are we doing up”? “Don’t know, but we could always take advantage of it”. “No love, we have plans for tonight, or don’t you remember”? “Oh, I remember all right, but we could always start a little early”. “No love, but I will make it worth the wait”. Peter just kisses her again and gets out of bed. He puts on his robe and sniffs the air.

“We are not the only ones up I can smell fresh coffee. Maybe Nick and Judy got off work early”? Peter holds out Vivian’s robe. As she puts it on, she looks over to the monitors, which show no change. “I pray every night that when I wake up there will have been some sort of change in those two”. Peter just hugs her, “so do I love, so do I”.

Peter and Vivian come around the corner into the kitchen, neither one is looking up they are just staring at the floor. “Morning number-2”. Peter automatically responds “morning number-1”. Vivian’s paws fly to her muzzle, and Peter take two more steps before his brain catches up to his automatic response. Susan and I just stand up as they rush around the table to hug us. Grandpa and grandma are both crying and kissing us at the same time. I just whisper in their ears, “happy anniversary you two”. “It is now grandson, even if you did use that wicked sense of humor on us”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> to all those who slogged through the first book i thank you. I have now gone through the first book with grammarly and corrected most of the spelling errors. i will be starting on this book shortly, again thank you.


	2. Chapter 2

“Happy anniversary you two”. “It is now, even if you did use that wicked sense of humor on us”. We eventually break apart and sit down. Peter gets coffee for Vivian and himself. We just stare at each other, and hold their paws across the table.

“So, where’s DeDe”? Vivian just smiles, “DeDe has moved in with her husband”. “She’s married”? “Yes, she married Rocky. Daniel it was the darndest thing, I had always heard about or seen about love at first sight in movies, but had never seen it in real life. But it happened to the two of them. as soon as they saw each other, they said “it’s you” and proceeded to hug each other. Terry said he felt their bond snap into place”. “Well good for them, I’m glad they found each other”.

Susan holds my paw and asks the question. “Guys was I violated while we were in the coma”? Grandma lets out with a sigh, and grandpa gets tears in his eyes. “We were hoping we would never have to explain this, but here’s what happened. You two had just been moved back to long term care, and been there for about three weeks. The video showed that the night orderly tried to rape you”. “What stopped him”? “You did, you guys had been on the stim suits for about two weeks, and Davis, Rick and Mavis had been trying to get them working right”. **“Perhaps I should take over the narrative from this point”.** “What do you know about this Mavis”? **“Ah, I was kind of instrumental at this point”.** “This is news to us, why have you never said anything until now”? **“Mammals will believe what they want to believe”.** “All right tell us what you know”.

**“About a week before the night in question, I had finally got the hang of what the suits could do, I had control and was exercising the two of you. When the night nurse left for her lunch break, the night orderly shut off your suit Susan, at this point the camera feed went crazy. It was a bit before I could figure out what had happened. I found the scrambling device and neutralized it. When I got the video back, he had uncovered you Susan, and hiked up your hospital gown. He then dropped his pants and proceeded to crawl onto the bed. I then activated the remote “life signs Monitor” attached to you. The night doctor saw this and hurried to the ward. But he would not get there in time”.**

**“As he got into position, I reactivated the stim suit. I activated your muscle in sequence and punched him in the jaw, I may have used a bit too much power as his jaw was broken. He then reared up to his knees holding his jaw. Again, I reactivated your muscles and bunny kicked him with your legs. Again, I did it with a bit too much power, he flew off the end of the bed hitting his head on the bed across the isle. He was laying there in a growing pool of blood, when the doctor came in. the doctor saved his life, but was concerned with what he saw. Instead of calling security he called the ZPD. The hospital tried to sweep it under the rug, but it refused to go away”.** “Thank you, Mavis, for protecting me”. **“Your welcome Susan”.** “Well that makes a lot more sense than you waking up, and then going back under”.

“We’ll take it from here, Mavis”. **“Very good”.** “After the attempted rape of you, and it was attempted, your hymen is still intact. Things were changed at the hospital. Two orderlies have been in the room at all times. The jamming device was found on the ward’s security cameras, and was taken away for study by the ZPD’s I.T. department. The orderly had been working on the ward for about four years, and the ZPD requested the video footage for that time frame”.

“They found 162 video scrambling’s of the ward’s cameras for that time frame. They were having trouble descrambling them till DeDe gave the videos to Mavis. Mavis had them descrambled in about a week. He was charged as being a serial rapist. It went to court, and he was found guilty. He was declared a dangerous offender and was locked up for life”. “But he died, didn’t he”? “Yes, about 4 months in, he was killed by two other inmates. One of the inmates has a sister on the ward”. “How did you know of this”? We look at each other, “we know this, as we were given a choose to condemn him or to forgive him, we choose to forgive him”. “We then had you guys moved here, the hospital has paid for the day nurse to look after you. Peter and I look after you at nights”.

The front door opens, and Miss Watts comes in the house. She hangs up her jacket and looks down the hall to the monitors. She just sighs, and enters the kitchen. Her paws fly to her muzzle, and her eyes tear up. She comes over and hugs us. She doesn’t say anything as she starts to make breakfast.

**“Do you still want me to do the morning alarm”?** “Won’t be necessary Mavis, Susan and I will wake them up”. We re-establish our link with Scott, our littermates, and all our siblings. Susan and I both send “happy birthday you guys”. The reaction is almost instantaneous. We can hear doors fly open and the patter of paw pads coming down the hall. Susan and I just sit on the floor, and we are mobbed by everyone. Grandma and grandpa just laugh at the joyous reunion.

Elisabeth comes in and just hangs back. “I look at her, don’t you think it’s time Izzy”? “I guess your right Daniel. Morning grandma, morning grandpa”. Peter and Vivian have their muzzles hanging open, Miss Watts is kind of floored too. “Elizabeth you can speak”? “Yes, but before you ask, I would like mom and dad here as well, I don’t want to tell the story more than once”. It was a few when grandma looks at me. “Daniel why did you call her Izzy”? “Her story grandma”.

Susan and I crawl back into our chairs, we are close to reaching our max level of endurance. We have fun at the table and are caught up on all that has been going on.

Nick and Judy walk home arm in arm from the precinct. It has been a long night and they are ready for bed. As they come in the door, they can hear the laughter and chatter coming from the kitchen, they can see the monitors down the hall, no change. Nick plasters a grin on his face, “happy birth…”. he stops dead in his tracks, Judy bumps into him. “Hey, what gives Nick”? In answer Nick just pushes her forward into the room. Her paws fly to her muzzle. Both of them now have tears in their eyes. In unison Susan and I say “morning mom and dad”. We get up and go and hug them both, “we are really awake dad”, I say as I lay my muzzle on his shoulder. Dad hugs me back with a fierceness, like I was not real. Susan and I just switch parents. I slowly get up from my knees after hugging mom. We sit back down at the table.

Nick and Judy take their customary chairs. “Mavis you can turn the monitors off now, and thanks”. **“Your welcome Daniel”.** Nick looks at Judy, “do you get the irony of this situation”? “Yes Nick, I get it”. “Daniel when you get well enough Judy and I are goanna paddle your butt”. “Sorry dad, but I’m bigger than you, but if you would like, you can take me on in the ring”. “Damn, I forgot how your sense of humor works”. Miss Watts then serves us all breakfast, it tastes divine.

We all finish, and Vivian looks at Izzy. “All right grandma no need to bore holes in my hide with your eyes”. Nick and Judy’s mouth’s hang open. “Elizabeth you can speak”? “For about 9 months now, yes, I can”. “Why haven’t you spoken before now”? “Please don’t ground me for what I’m going to tell you”. “Is it that bad”? “In a manor of speaking, yes”. “All right we won’t ground you, but what did you do that’s so bad”? “I killed myself”.

“Dad, mom, this not the first time I died, it’s the third. William my brother, I saved you the first time I died. Just so the cat is fully out of the bag, I’m Izzy”. “How can you be Izzy”? says William with heat in his voice. “William the first time I died; you were protecting me. You threw me into that drain while the other kits beat you up. They then threw you in after me. You were so messed up, and your left arm was broken”. “Did you say his left arm”? “Yes grandpa, it was broken about thee quarters of the way up. I aligned the bone as best I could and then I pored power into the break. It healed but not perfectly”. “Well that explains why you had a break with no record of that break”. “I then poured all the power I had into you and healed all your internal injuries. But in doing so, I had nothing left to heal myself”.

“I found myself in the meadow with Gab, and he made me eat a strange fruit. Gab taught me the ways of power that night, but warned me it was a temporary measure. What I had done by instinct to you, I now had to do to myself every day. But while I was in the meadow, I went to a quiet spot and asked to see my family, and to love my family. I felt a sort of agreement”.

“Izzy it is you, no one knew about that night, except Izzy and I. I came too, and you were so cold on top of me, but I passed out again, and when I came to, you were warm and breathing”. “So now you run away a short time later, I can feel you living in the park down the road. But they won’t let me out of their sight, and no one would take me to that park, I was so lonely. I felt you cry out in pain when those mammals hurt you. But I could do nothing, but silently cry. You passed out from the pain. I waited for you to regain consciousness, and I told you to call out for help. You did which brought our brother and our parents to us. And then came the morning I couldn’t repair myself any more, and I died a second time”.

“My next memory was of being born to our mom. When you dad named me Elisabeth my heart leapt with joy I was back with my family. But I could tell things were different, I couldn’t speak, and I couldn’t figure out why. Till I realized that I wasn’t wholly here. I was Izzy but I was growing as Elizabeth. I had no bond with anyone, I felt so alone. I sat back and let Elizabeth form and I just watched. It was good to see you all, but I wanted more. I did not try to push Elizabeth out, and she did not try to push me out. We had our own bond with each other”.

I can see not a dry eye around the table, no one wanted to speak, so Elizabeth continued. “The third time I died, you and mom had just gotten back from the hospital, and I could see how sad you were. At this point I was not fully myself, I was mostly just Elizabeth. I had bits and pieces of myself from before but couldn’t talk about it. I couldn’t speak because that part of my brain had been blocked. I was not supposed to talk about what was on the other side of the veil, still can’t”.

“I saw how sad you Mom and dad both were, and decided I would offer myself in exchange for Daniel and Susan. When I got to the meadow, Gab was nowhere around, so I took off for the veil. Gab nearly caught me, but his paws raked through my tail as I passed through the veil. As soon as I passed through, I died. I talked to the being that was there and he refused my bargain. I could see two balls of light beside him, one red and one gold and I felt it was you two. I could not talk to you. I wanted to tell you how sad mom and dad were, but I was blocked from speaking. I started to cry, he held me and said he would give me a gift, and with that I found myself back in my body. The gift he gave me was myself. I had all the knowledge I had before, and then some. It’s quite the burden knowing you had died before; I wasn’t handling it very well”.

“I then saw how you dad were not healing very well. So, through sign language I offered to give you massages to help with the pain. I was actually healing the damage in your knee. I did it over a long time so you wouldn’t get suspicious, and I wouldn’t drain myself. Mom, I did the same for your elbow and eye. Susan, I did the same for your eye which was destroyed in the accident. All the while I was trying to figure out how to heal myself. I knew of all the ways you all had tried to become a whole being, and none of them worked.

Till the day I saw you shuffle a deck of cards, and found that would be perfect. Elisabeth and I started to layer our memories together, alternating the memories, good ones on top of bad ones tell finial we pushed them all into one pile. Elisabeth and I kissed, and hugged each other. I was the fearful one and Elisabeth was the happy one, but Elisabeth stepped into me, and we both exploded with joy. I became what I was meant to be. I am a power healer, and a whole being. After this I could talk, but decided to wait”.

“Izzy would you like the link back“? “Please Daniel, I’ve missed it”. With that I bond us all together, she now has a personal link with everyone. With tears in her eyes she just says thank you.

“Well that’s quite the story Elizabeth, says dad, but I’m having a hard time in believing it”. “What part don’t you believe dad”? She asks wiping the tears out of her eyes. “Well that you remember dying, and this whole being thing”. “Dad most of us here are one with ourselves we are whole beings”. “What does that mean exactly”? “Dads would you like a demonstration of this”?

“Yes, it would help me believe”. “Hang on Peter, I know what’s coming”. Vivian says this as she clutches Peter’s arm. All of us switch our eyes to primal slits and look at dad, some even project savageness. Not all of us can do this yet, Scott, Justin and William still have to learn. Mom lets out a squeak and faints, she’s still breathing though. Dad just backs up with horror in his eyes. “Do you believe me now dad”? “Yes...yes, I do”. We continue to look at dad with primal slitted eyes. “Alright guys I said I believe”. We all switch back. “Wow, that’s quite the convincer”, says Peter. Judy wakes up and punches Nicks arm, “Nick when are you going to learn that when our kits say something about themselves, it’s the truth”?

“Ah guys, Susan and I are at the limit of our endurance, could we get some help back to bed? Please”. Dad and grandma help Susan up, and putting their arms around her support her back to our bed room. Peter supports me, “wow Daniel your heavier than you look”. “Now you know why I’m number one”. Peter just chuckles.We strip down and are put to bed, I just spoon into Susan’s back, Susan moves back into me, and putting my muzzle in her neck, we fall asleep. Our parents and grand parents just smile at us as they close the door.


	3. Adults

I slowly come back to conciseness. Susan and I are side by side, and I gently reach over to hold her paw. She holds mine back. We roll together and kiss. It’s a very passionate kiss, and things start to heat up. I break things off as my state of arousal becomes evident. Susan gently giggles. “You know we are alone right”? “Yes love, I know, but it doesn’t fell right with out a marriage bond”. I just hang my head. Susan giggles some more and wraps her arms around me, “all right my foxy Boxy, we get married first”.

“Mavis what time is it”? **“It’s five thirty PM Daniel”.** “Thank you”. I turn the lights on to our adult room, and use the facilities. I had never really payed attention to the adult rooms before. There is a shower and a large bathtub and a body blower, we could have showered here this morning.

I come back out, and Susan gets up, I see her in all her naked glory, and can’t help but admire and like what I see. “Why thank you kind sir, it’s nice to be seen in that way”. She walks by me with a jiggle of her tail, I’m just dying to touch it. She giggles some more, and enters the facilities. I get dressed and wait for her. She come back out and gets dressed as well. We are felling a lot better, and a little stronger. We leave our room, and head for the kitchen. We come around the corner to shouts of “surprise”. We act surprised, we had already felt what they were up to. Some party hats are placed on us, and we are given some noise makers. We all sit down to supper, and cake and ice cream. Through it all mom and dad just watch, and I could tell they were worried that this was all a dream, and they were still dreaming.

Grandma and grandpa are out for the evening, I hope everything goes well for them. after supper, all our littermates rush to open their birthday gifts. We have nothing, and really weren’t expecting to receive any thing. But again, grandma had surprised us. We both received a gold bracelet with our names on it, but if you flipped it over, it had our mates name on the backside.

As mom and dad are getting ready for work, Susan and I broach the subject on our mind. “Mom, dad, Susan and I would like to get married”. The response we got was not the one we were expecting. Dad just starts to laugh and mom just says damn. “Pay up love”. Judy reaches into her pocket and hands dad a ten-dollar bill. “You had a bet on us”? “He talked me into it, he hustled me”.

Dad laughs for a little bit more and wiping his eyes just looks at us and grins. “I bet your mother that twenty-four hours would not go by, before you would request to be married. Daniel you guys are adults, why would we be offended that you want to be married”? “Well we are only seven after all”. Mom just snorts and dad chuckles. “Guys you were never seven, chronologically you are, but going by the others you are more than old enough to know what you are getting into. And what about kits”? “Ah, dad we have taken measures not to have kits, at least for a while. Susan has tied her tubes and I have cut the vas deferens. We can reverse this later when we want to have kits”. “All right I can see you have thought this through”.

“We see that you have no problem with this, but what about the law”? “Cindy could you come in here for a minute”? “Coming dad. Cindy walks in, what’s up dad”? “What are the laws surrounding kits getting married”? Cindy gets a grin on her face and hollers back at the living room. “Pay up guys”, we hear groaning from the living room. “Nick you are a bad influence on our kits”. “In answer to your question dad, the youngest couple on record, were married at eight, and were married for 62 years. The law is kind of vague on this issue, the only stipulations I could find were that the parents or guardians had to be in agreement, and the wedding could not be forced. As for predator and prey marrying, you two have more experience than I do in that department at this time”. “So, when would you guys want to tie the knot”? “Next Saturday if possible”. Judy and Nick both groan, “damn my mom won that one”. “Wow, we go to sleep for a while and our whole house hold turns into a bunch of hustlers”. “Get use to it son, it’s one way we are having fun”.

“So, have you thought about rings”? “We have dad, we would like to have emerald and cat’s eye rings”. We were expecting to have someone holler pay up, but no one did. I look at dad and he grins, “we didn’t bet on that one. Those are semi precious stones so brock-in-stock jewelers is probable the best place in town to get them”. “can we go tomorrow”? “Yes, I believe we can, but it will have to be in the afternoon, Judy and I would like to be there when you pick them out”.

“Also, DeDe shows up tomorrow morning for her Saturday visit with you two. She has come by every Saturday to see you guys, and she stays with you for about an hour”. “Does she know that we are awake”? “How could she, we have told no one yet”. “Can you not tell anyone yet”? Nick smiles, “only if we can be there when you tell them”. “Deal”, Nick looks at Judy, “this is goanna be so much fun”. “Well Mr. Wilde we need to get to work, See you guys later”. We all get and give hugs as mom and dad head out the door.

DeDe rides the elevator up in the morning, she wonders why she puts herself through this, it’s not like there her kits. _Because you love them you dunder head._ She come in the house and it’s really quiet, she can hear the beeps of the monitors down the hall. Nick and Judy got off work four hours ago, so they would still be sleeping. Vivian and Peter must have the kits at the park. She feels all alone. She walks down the hall and looks at the monitors, no change she can detect. She opens the door, and walks in. she doesn’t clue into the fact there are no machines in the room.

Daniel and Susan are laying there, in the same old position. She puts her flowers on the dresser and comes and sits on the bed. “Morning you two, how are you this morning”? “Were doing fine DeDe, thanks for asking”. We say this as we sit up. DeDe lets out a shriek and jumps straight up. When she comes down, she’s all over us, crying, kissing, and just trying to hold us both. After a bit she start to pummel me. “You shit, how dare you do that to me”. I grab her and hold her in a hug, “love you too DeDe”. She stops fighting and just holds me close. “Well now I’m jealous, you trying to steal my mammal DeDe”? DeDe lets me go, and brings Susan into a fierce hug. “No, I have my own, thanks”.

“Oh God guys, I never thought I would see this day”. “And what day would that be”? “The day you woke up”. “Well we actually woke up on our birthday”. “And you didn’t tell me”? “DeDe we were so tired, we slept most of the day”. “So, are you coming to the wedding next Saturday? You and Rocky are invited of course”. “What wedding? Who’s wedding”? “Our wedding DeDe, we have grown up bodies now, and it’s all I can do to keep my paws off of her”. “I told you Daniel, I don’t want you to keep your paws off”. DeDe looks at us in shock, “but you are only seven”. “DeDe you know we are mentally older than that. Our bodies are now the same age as our mental state”. “Oh guys, I would be honored”.

We get up and head for the kitchen, Nick calls from the living room, “guys come in here a minute”. We go in the whole family is there and their eating popcorn, and looking at the big screen. DeDe turns around and dad plays the video clip. It shows DeDe walking down the hall, and entering our bedroom, and everything else for the last few minutes. Everyone laughs as DeDe shrieks and jumps straight up. DeDe doesn’t get upset, she looks at Nick, “can I have a copy of that video, it’s one of the most memorable moments of my life”.

After lunch we head for the jeweler. As we walk in the door, a bell chimes. A Siberian tiger comes to the counter. “My word if it isn’t Nick Wilde, you here to hustle someone”? “Not this time stripes, we’re here to pick out rings for this nice couple behind us”. “And who might you two be”? “I’m Daniel J Wilde, and my fiancé is Susan K O’Hare”. “Wilde”? “Yes, Nick is my father”. “Well my word, you started a little early didn’t you Nick”? “Not really, Judy is his mother, and Daniel is younger than he looks”. He looks down at Judy. “You married this Scruff bum”? “Now stripes you know I was never scruffy”. Judy is getting tired of this old joke.

“So, what kind of rings would you two like”? “Well sir, can you show us some emeralds and cat’s eyes”. He takes four steps to the right, and pulls out a tray of emerald rings. As he starts back, he reaches into another display case and pulls out some cat’s eye rings. He brings the whole works and lays them in front of us. Susan and I go through them, but nothing grabs our interest. “I’m sorry sir, nothing appeals to us”.

He nods his head, and picking up the trays puts them back in the display case. We thought we were done, when he goes to the back room and comes back with two trays of gems. He then spits the trays he’s carrying, and puts them down on the counter. These ones are a little more varied, but one cats eye stands out for me. It’s more gold than brown with a deep black center. I hold it up to Susan’s eyes, and it’s a perfect match. I put this one down on a little velvet mat. Susan meanwhile has been looking over the emeralds. She finds one that closely matches the color of my eyes. She holds it up to my eyes, It is a perfect match, smiling she lays it down on the mat.

“Good choices you two, what kind of setting do you want them in”? “Could you put them in practical settings? We will be doing a lot of things with our paws”. He nods his head and putting the rest away, comes back with a tray of assorted bands. We look them over, and Susan choses a white gold band in a medium width. I chose a purple gold band in a medium width. The band are a little thicker than normal but he informs us this is good; we will want them in deeper settings to protect them as they are soft gems. “So, when would you like them for”? “Can you have them ready for Friday”? “Yes, I can, now the only thing left is price”.

Nick haggles the price down a bit, but I could tell he was pleased with our choices. The price is arrived at, and I get ready to call Terry for some money. Before I can dad reaches into his wallet and pulls out his bank card. “Dad you don’t have to do that”. Dad looks at us, “son, daughter, you once did something for Judy and I, and we would like to pay you back in our own small way”. Dad lays his card down, as I sweep mom off the floor and hug her, she is crying. Susan hugs dad as he is handed his card back. We step out into the glorious afternoon sun.

Monday morning rolls around, and we had thought of a way to announce to the precinct that we were awake. Mom and dad walked us in like a couple of criminals. We were slouched forward with our hands behind our backs. As we entered, we started to complain loudly, and to fight mom and dad. Several officers rush over to help mom and dad. Fangmyer grabs me and I throw her, she lands on her feet and comes right back. It’s a free for all in the lobby when the chief comes out of his office to see what all the commotion was. Mom and dad stop and just start to laugh, and the other officers stop and look at them. “your form is slipping a bit Fangmyer, you need to work on that”. “Daniel? DANIEL”! She grabs me and tries to squeeze the life out of me. “Ah, can’t breathe”. She lets me go, and I catch my breath. The chief starts with a frown, but when he realizes it’s Susan and I, one tear slips out the corner of his eye, but no one notices, he goes back into his office with a smile on his face.

Later that day, Susan and I try to enter the DOJO. Maurice immediately challenges me. We start to fight. Susan just stands back with a smile on her face. I throw Maurice through the door into the DOJO. Mr. Delaront hollers “enough”. Maurice gets up and looks at me with murder in his eyes. But it turns to one of surprise. He grabs me in a bear hug and just holds me. “Maurice you are overextending yourself again, go to the mat and practice”. He lets me go with a grin on his face, “Yes master”.

Vivian then enters behind us with Scott, Elisabeth and Justin. The rest of the family is at school, or work. We change into our borrowed karateka’s and tying a gold sash around ourselves, go and sit down with the masters. Some give us puzzled looks; some don’t know what to think. Mr. Delaront looks at us, “welcome back you two, have a nice sleep”? “In some ways, yes sir”. We could see looks of ah and wonder around the circle, as it dawned on the masters who we are. “Daniel why do you and Susan have gold belts”? “Sir, Susan and I are power masters”. Carl pipes up, “there is no such designate, you are frauds”. Susan and I just turn to each other and smile as we slowly lift ourselves off the mat with power. We remain seated one foot off the mat. “There is such a designate sir, and we are it”.

“Can you teach us”? Mr. Delaront asks as we slowly lower ourselves back to the mat. “I’m sorry sir, we can’t, the ultimate sacrifice has to be paid in love, and then it’s another’s decision”. “So why are you so big”? “It was part of the deal for our training, we gave away our youth. We are still not a hundred percent, but we are getting there”. Later we go and join the family in the routine, we are exhausted by the time we are finished.


	4. Marriage

Thursday after practice, we walk across the square to the city clerk’s office in the courthouse, to get our license. As we walk in and get in line, the clerk looks up, and we can feel his instant dislike for us. When it’s finally our turn, he is very snarky and disrespectful. “Sir, what is your problem with us”? “You two, pred and prey, such an unnatural union”. “Sir, I’m a hybrid, I have both fox and bunny genes in me, and I’m a vegan”. “Doesn’t mater, you still look like a fox.” Cindy comes up, “Is there a problem Daniel”? “Yes, sis there is, this mammal is being very disrespectful, and won’t give us the paper work”. Cindy looks at him, “Sir would you please give my sister and brother the paperwork they need”? “We don’t marry sisters and brothers”. “That may have been a poor choice of words on my part, we were all born to the same surrogate mother but I assure you, Daniel and Susan are 100% different. We are all littermates”. “Don’t matter, I won’t give them the paperwork”.

“Sir, I am Cindy P O’Hare attorney at law and my clients will be filling a discrimination lawsuit against you, and the clerk’s office. We need someone in authority here now”. He sneers at her. “Go away and stop bothering me”. “Sir I will ask you for the last time…”. “Is there a problem here Cindy”? We turn around and see Judge Harrison standing behind us.

“Yes sir, it appears that the clerk’s office won’t give us the paperwork we need to fill out, for a marriage licence for my sister and our littermate”. “Well now, what seems to be the problem with their request”? He says this looking at the clerk. “Sir they’re a pred and prey couple”. “And this is against the law how”? “Sir, it’s unnatural”. “How so”? “Pred and prey should not be together”. “Well now, I don’t see a problem with it and I’m a judge, just give them the paperwork, or find someone who can”. The clerk gets flustered but hands us the paperwork.

Judge Harrison sits down with us and helps us fill out the paperwork. “So how old are you two”? “We’re the same age as Cindy Sir”. He gets a look of disbelief in his eyes. “Sir, Susan and I were in an auto accident, and our bodies started to grow, we were in a coma all this time and just came out. We were not aware of our growth. You know from the court case several years ago that we are all really smart, and our bodies now match our mental age”. “I remember, guardianship if I remember correctly”.

“Yes Sir, it was”. “So why do you want to get married”? Susan and I just blush. “Sir we now have grown up wants and desires, and won’t do anything about it till we are married”. Judge Harrison just laughs, yes, “I can see how that is a problem. So where are your parents? You can’t get the license till they sign off”. “Sir, they’re doing paperwork at their office, and are only across the square at the precinct”. “Your parents are cops”? “Yes sir, Nick and Judy Wilde”. “All right call them and we will see if we can fast track the paperwork”.

When Nick and Judy get to the clerk’s office, they are surprised to see Judge Harrison with us. He shakes both their paws and we all proceed to the counter. The clerk looks us all over, he doesn’t say anything just starts to go over the paperwork. “We need both the parents of Daniel and the Guardians of Susan to sign the paperwork”. “We’re right here” both mom and dad say. Cindy shows him the guardianship paper work.

“How do I know that you are not coercing Susan into marrying him”? “Dad can I break his muzzle? Asks Susan. They can’t charge a minor with a crime”. “No Susan you can’t, because I may do it for you”. “Now guys, just settle down. I believe that if he doesn’t start cooperating, I may have to have a talk with his boss. And if a judge is displeased with his performance, how much longer do you think he would work here”? The clerk blanches, and finishes the paperwork, he gets dad and mom to sign, and the deed is done. We have our license. As we walk out the door, we thank Judge Harrison for all his help. He just laughs, “I’ve not had this much fun in a long time. Take care you guys”. He disappears back into the building. Mom and dad hug us and head back into the precinct, Susan and I just head home. Cindy heads back to her office.

We go on Friday to pickup our rings, mom and dad decide we can do this on our own, just like any other adult, it feels good. As we enter the store, we can feel something is not right. The tiger behind the counter is very nervous. “Ah, Mr. Wilde good to see you I have your rings ready over here”. He leads us to a small alcove, and has us try on the rings. He keeps glancing over to the curtain on the back room. We can tell that we had walked in on a robbery, there are two perps in the back room. Susan looks at me and grins, “well thank you sir, this is beautiful work, can we thank your partner”? He gives us a quizzical look. “Ah, no problem, we will just go and say high”.

Charles the shop owner looks at us with horror in his eyes. I reach over and pull the curtain back, the two perps now exposed jump into the room. “All right you two, give us your money and those rings”. I put a grin on my face, “sorry sir, we carry no money, we do everything by bank card”. “Then give us your bank cards and pins”. “Sorry, we don’t have our bank cards on us at the moment”. “Then how were you going to pay for the rings”? “They were pre paid on Saturday, we just had to come in and pick them up”. One of the perp’s leers at Susan, “we could always take her as payment, she’s quite the dish”. “Ah no, you don’t want to do that”. “And why’s that”? He askes this as he grabs Susan’s arm. Susan and I blur into motion. She grabs his arm and breaks it. I knock the gun out of the other perp’s paw, and chop him across the throat. They are both laying on the ground, one is holding his arm, and the other one is trying to catch his breath. Charles kicks the one trying to catch his breath, he has to try a little harder now. I call the precinct. “Hey Clawhauser, who’s on patrol in the vicinity of brock-in-stock jewellers? Right, can you send them over? There’s been an attempted robbery of the store, ok, see them in a bit”. I now look at Susan with fear in my eyes, “Susan it’s our parents”.

Both of us watch the perps, but neither wants any more of the same. The sirens of the police cruisers shut off, mom, dad, Fangmyer, and Wolford walk in. “I should have known you two would be involved, you had one simple task, but no that’s not good enough, your grounded, and we will talk about this at home”. We can really see what has dad riled up, and we go give our statements to Fangmyer.

Charles gives dad an incredulous look. “What? he’s my son stripes, and this is the first time he has gone out on his own”. “That’s not it, Nick, you’re a cop”? “As of eight years ago, yes, I am”. “Wow, I did not know that”. “So how old is Daniel”? “He’s seven stripes”. “What? It can’t be. He looks like an adult”. “Well, looks can be deceiving”. “Wait, you are allowing them to marry”? “Yes, stripes, it’s at their request”. “How old is his fiancé”? “She’s seven too”. “There’s got to be a bigger story than that”. “There is but we are not allowed to talk about it”.

Charles grabs Nicks arm, “don’t be to hard on them Nick, they saved my life and my store. This was a shake down, they wanted me to pay protection money”. “But I thought it was a robbery”? “Well, what they were asking for was highway robbery”. “Do you know who the shake down was for”? “No, they had not told me when your son walked in”. Nicks mood lightens a bit. “You should have seen them in action Nick. I have never seen anything like it. They were moving before any one could respond. They had the perps down before I took one step”. “Why didn’t you hit your silent alarm”? “I did Nick, but nothing appears to have happened”. Nick dials his phone. “Kaylee it’s Nick, yes, I’m fine, can you send a T.O. over to Brock-in-stock, the alarm to the precinct appears to not be working. Right, thanks”.

DeDe arrives, hugs Susan and I, and looks over the alarm, she then goes out to the alley and checks the alarm box. She fiddles in the box for a few minutes and come back in. she puts a piece of electronics down on the counter. “Well this is shot, it’s been jury rigged to send the all clear signal, regardless if the alarm is pushed or not”. “Is it a sophisticated hack”? “No, just your everyday hack, with a screw driver and some wire. You need a better lock on that box. I’ve replaced this but it could be damaged again”. “Thank you”. “Don’t mention it”. DeDe picks up her bag and heads out the door.

All statements are taken, the perps are sent to the hospital, the hospital cuffs them to their beds, after treatment they wait to be transferred to the ZPD. I look over at dad, and I can see it’s our turn. “Well Judy, I believe we should drive these two “civilians” home”. “Wait a second you two, you forgot your rings”. I go back, and pick up the box with our rings. We get into the back of the cruiser with dad. As mom drives, I just hug dad. “I’m sorry we scared you dad, that wasn’t our intention”. “You should have left when you had the chance, and let the cops handle it”. “Yes, dad we should have, but fools jump in where angels fear to tread”. Mom chuckles, and then bursts out laughing. Dad tries to hide his smile, but he starts to laugh as well. “Quoting old song lyrics at me, is not the way to go, but thanks I needed that”. “Are we still grounded”?

Saturday dawns bright and hot. Susan and I are cuddling, both of us are a little aroused, but we have only a few more hours to wait. I lick down to the base of her ears, and start to nibble, she lets out with a moan, have to remember that one for latter. We reluctantly break apart, and go get ready for the day.

The service will be held down the road at a small nondenominational church. We rented a small hall up the road from the church. Chris Beaverton agreed to be our photographer for the event, just for the exclusive right to tell the story. The siblings all look good in their rented tux’s, and dresses. Scott and William keep pulling at their collars like their being choked, mom just tells them to leave it alone. Susan and I bought a tux and wedding dress for ourselves. She looks absolutely amazing in it. There is a small protest outside the church, against mixed species couples. But as there are more mixed species couples than protesters on the street. The protesters just fade away and leave us in peace.

As the wedding progresses, mom, DeDe, and Vivian all start to tear up, but they don’t actually start to cry, tell we say our wedding vows. Fangmyer is stoic through it all, but we can feel she wants to let herself go. She reaches over and hugs her partner, Wolford. We can see that there is more and feel we will be attending their wedding in the near future. Vows done we kiss; we are now one under the law. Daniel and Susan Wilde does have a nice ring to it. Through it all Beaverton snaps lots of pictures.

We have a dry reception, Suzie sings an old country song, “Could I have this dance”. And Susan and I agree it’s a perfect song for our first dance. As we dance, she puts all of her emotions into it. Wow, we can really feel it, we boost her emotions with our own, and soon everyone is kissing. Fangmyer grabs Wolford, and plants one on his muzzle. He is shocked, but returns it, with just as much passion. For the rest of the night they stay close to each other. Suzie has us laughing crying and just plain having fun, as she sings the night away. Soon it’s time to end the night, mom and dad hail us a cab, and Vivian gives us the key to her old house. I guess the last renters have moved out. We are told by our parents not to come back till we have it all out of our systems, or until we’re too sore to move. We both blush and everyone laughs. We jump into the cab and head out for our wedding night.

**FROM THE STAR NEWS**

**By Chris Beaverton**

History was made in Zootopia on Saturday; Two seven-year old’s were wed. This reporter was their official photographer and it was quite the wedding. Yes, they look like adults in the picture, but they had a medical condition that caused them to mature early. I first met them three-years ago, at the court house where Larry O’Hare was arrested, in fact they had a paw in his detention. If you look close at the third picture, they are posing with their littermates. They are all the same age. In the fourth picture you can see the happy couple posing with their parents. As you can see, their parents are Nick and Judy Wilde. The dynamic duo from the night howler incident about nine-years ago. We wish them well in their new life together, and I for one wonder what their kits would look like. More on the story pg. 11.

One prison inmate reads the story, flies into a rage and rips the paper to shreds. He is tackled by another inmate and is punched and kicked for destroying the only paper the tier has. The guards soon break it up, and they are led to solitaire, he mumbles all the way, “Damn Hybrids”.


	5. Child of love

It’s almost two weeks before we return. We kept in touch with everyone through our siblings. We were a little sore when we returned, and darn if they didn’t have a bet going as to when we would return. It was another week before I realized what had happened.

We were laying on the bed, and I had my muzzle in Susan’s neck, I was making lazy circles with my index claw on her chest when I could tell she was in a little discomfort. I looked at her with power to see if I could find out what was wrong. There was nothing wrong, but very right. “Took you long enough “dad”. I just hugged her. “How far along are you love”? “I believe she was conceived on our wedding night”. “She”? “Yes, Daniel it’s a girl”. “You can tell this early”? “Yes, I can, a mother knows these things”. “Ockny you bastard, you have a wicked sense of humor”. We both looked up as we could hear a laughing in our heads. I just pull my wife into a kiss and a hug. We get up to go tell our family.

Everyone is in the living room, as we come around the corner, mom takes one look at us. “Pay up guys”. “At least let them say it carrots”. We blush, their betting on us again. “If it’s what I think it is, your pregnant aren’t you Susan”? We just nod yes. Everyone groans, and mom does a fist pump in the air, going” Yes’s…” Vivian asks the next question. “So, when did this happen”? “We believe it was our wedding night”. This time dad lets out with a yes. We just shake our heads. “What happened to your protection”? “Our protection was in place, but the universe has a wicked sense of humor”. Izzy lets out with a laugh, “he sure does, doesn’t he?” No one else gets the joke.

Susan starts to slow down, and it’s another two weeks before anyone else notices. “Daniel, what’s the matter with Susan”? “Nothing Fangmyer, she just needs about three more weeks”. “Why three more weeks”? Before I can answer, she looks hard at Susan and gets it. She rushes Susan and pulls her into a hug. Like most guys Wolford doesn’t get it. I explain it to him and he just pulls me into a hug. Talk about unguy like behavior. Soon the news is all around the precinct. Some congratulate us, some are shocked, we are just children after all. And some just avoid us like we had the plague. Mom and dad fare much better, but some people still look at them with disgust. The masters of the DOJO weren’t surprised at all, as they look at everyone with their power.

It’s august seventh when Susan goes into labor. We take Peter’s new car to the hospital. There is no rushing this time, we know when our daughter is to be born. It’s a fairly normal delivery, I stayed linked with Susan the whole time, and I was probably the first male to experience child birth. I don’t know if I would go through that again.

But soon our beautiful daughter is born, she is a grey rabbit, with burnt umber color from under her chin to her nether regions and around to her tail. She had fox paws and claws. Her legs are like a fox’s legs as well. Peter lays her on Susan’s chest and she started to suckle. She was perfect, our little girl. I planted one on Susan as she lays there, exhausted. Soon we allowed the rest of the family in to see her. Susan passes her to our mother; mom just holds her and cries. “So, Daniel, Susan, have you both come up with a name for her”? We look at dad and smile, “yes dad we have, her full name is Bonnie Jane Wilde”. Mom just cries a little harder as she holds her. She eventually passes her to dad; dad just cradles her as tears run out the corner of his eyes. Vivian just cries waiting for her turn to hold her great granddaughter.

We bring her home the next day, and the two hours between wake-up calls begin for me. We have Bonnie cradled between us for most of the night, she doesn’t have to wake us up, she just searches for a teat or breast to latch on to. She does wake us up when she’s wet or dirty, but that is not as often as feeding her.

She grows like a bad weed and soon is running around the house with Justin and Elisabeth, Scott is a little aloof with her but eventually she wears him down with her smile and playful antics. I know he was scared of hurting her.

We have a house party in the middle of October to introduce Bonnie to the Howlers. This is the first time Terry and his wife Sasha have come to one of these parties. We can tell they want to talk about something. As the evening progresses, and after a few drinks they approach Susan and I. “Can we have a word with you two, please” asks Terry. We nod yes and we all head for the showers.

“Daniel, Susan, Terry and I would like to have pups and kittens of our own, do you know how we can do this? We know it’s possible as rabbits and foxes are as different as dogs and cats. We really want children of our own”. Sasha breaks down crying at this point. We look at them and project calm, we then make them sleepy. They fall asleep sitting on the bench of a private shower room. Susan and I head for the meadow to talk to Gab.

Gab is waiting for us. “I know what you want to ask, and the answer is they have to ask. If you go and bring them back, they can’t see you, you don’t want to be known as the fertility experts”. We head back and link with Sasha and Terry, we bring them back to the meadow. We blink out to the party, and leaving the shower room, lock them in.

Sasha wakes up in a beautiful meadow next to her husband. Where am I? she looks around and can feel the love and peace of this place, she wakes up Terry and they both marvel at the meadow. Gab walks up” hello you two”. “Who are you sir”? “I’m Gab and I live here in this meadow”. “And where is this meadow”? “Why the meadow is halfway to dreaming from wakefulness”. “How did we get here”? “Everyone passes through here on their way to dreaming, some remember, but most don’t”. “Do you know why we are here”? “Yes, if the two of you could follow me”.

Gab leads them to another part of the meadow. “Now you two this is a private place, a calming place, this is also the place to ask for one’s heart desire. What you must do is confess your heart’s desire to each other, and ask for that desire in the way only a couple can. With that I must leave you”. Sasha turns her head coyly from Terry, she is kind of embarrassed about this. “Sasha you know I love you, and my heart’s desire is for us to have children of our own, but you know I’m ok with adopting”. “Yes husband, but I want to be the mother of your pups or kittens”. “If I understand him correctly me need to ask for our desire in the only way a couple can”. With that he pulls his wife into an embrace and they kiss very passionately.

We are all enjoying our time at the party, our daughter is a natural in the pool. When a roar comes from the shower room, followed very close by a howl. The Howlers all break down laughing, “They don’t call us Howlers for nothing”. Vivian looks up at Peter to see him laughing just as hard as the rest of his pack. Peter leans down and whispers in her ear. Grandma turns beet red; this is amazing as she is already a red color. Our daughter thinks all the laughing is for her and her antics. When Terry and his wife come back to the party about a half hour later, they are met with snickers and grins from his family. They both dive into the pool immediately. Our daughter comes over to us, and looking at her mom says “Tired, hungry” We are both amazed, these are the first two words she has spoken.

When she learns to speak in her mind with all of us, it’s all we can do not to shut her out, she is a bit of a chatter box. She catches the Christmas excitement and starts to bounce off the walls. This year we are heading back to Bunny Burrow. She was fascinated by the train and talked nonstop with words and emotions. We manage to keep here hidden in her carrier; tell we enter the house.

The rest of our siblings and littermates are taken away by the kerfuffle, we all go sit in the small kitchen. “So, Judy who’s the new member in the carrier”? Judy opens the door and Bonnie makes a bee line for her great grandma. “Oh, Judy she’s adorable, why didn’t you tell us you were pregnant”. “I wasn’t mom, if I had been pregnant, there would be a cream and orange fur rug on our living room floor”. “Honey bun you wound me”. Says Nick putting one paw dramatically to his chest. Judy just cuddles into Nick. “No mom she’s named after her great grandmothers, her full name is Bonnie Jane Wilde”. Bonnie gets a shocked look, “Bonnie darling come to mama”. Bonnie Jumps out of Bonnie’s lap and jumps into Susan’s lap. Stu closes his mouth and goes to the cupboard, pulling out two bottles comes back and puts one on the table and keeps the other one for himself. He pours a glass for himself, and downs it in one go. He pours a second, but before he can lift it off the table, Bonnie grabs it and downs it in one go.

“Well everyone our daughter has informed me she has to go, so we will be back in a few”. Susan leaves the room with Bonnie. Bonnie and Stu look directly at me. “What? it happened on our wedding night”. “You guys are married”? “Yes, we married on the second of June”. “You didn’t invite us”? “Ah, it was kind of rushed”. “Yes, mom it was rushed, they didn’t want to keep their paws off of each other any longer than was necessary”. Stu and Bonnie look at each other, pour a glass each, and down them in one go.

Dad picks up the bottle in the center of the table, and gives everyone a splash in their tea. I politely refuse. “Daniel you sure you won’t try it? Your old enough now”. “Dad I don’t think alcohol agrees with me”. “Daniel, how do you know this”? I start to blush, “ah, Susan and I may have snuck a half glass of beer off the table at the last pool party we were awake for before the coma”. Dad and mom, Vivian and Peter start to laugh and howl at this point. Susan comes back in, and our Daughter starts to go from adult to adult begging for hugs. I just hold Susan’s paw.

When they finish laughing, dad looks at us with a grin on his face. “We thought we would get William; he seems a little more adventurous, but it looks like we got you two. We could see at the parties that you kits, were eye balling the alcohol, so we set up a trap, we laced a half beer with Emetic which induces vomiting. All the adults coming up the elevator to the party, were warned about the glass of beer on the corner of the table. You snuck it away without anyone seeing it, that was well done. But we could tell when it happened because shortly after, all of you disappeared. it was just the adults left. All of you looked terrible the next day. No one went near alcohol after that”.

“Well Susan and I snuck the beer into the shower room, we liked the taste and were getting ready to go for more, when we started to feel queasy, before we got to the door, we projectile vomited all we had drank. We made our way out of the private shower to the toilets and continued. Shortly after we were joined by all our siblings and littermates. Scott managed to block us out but he was looking a little green. We believed at this point that our bodies couldn’t handle alcohol, and because of this, no one was willing to try it again”. Stu and Bonnie couldn’t hold it together any more, they burst out laughing. “Oh, to see that we are not the only ones got”, and they doubled up into laughter again.

Dad then offered Susan and I a little in our tea. We looked at each other and accepted. When we tasted it this time, bourbon has a different flavor. Susan and I found it a little harsh, but we liked it. In a few minutes our bodies had gotten rid of it. Dad offered us more but we declined. “Sorry dad, but I could probably drink Stu under the table, our bodies have already gotten rid of the alcohol we have consumed”. Dad looked like he would like to test that theory, but mom punched him in the arm. “Remember the last time you asked them to prove it”? Dad just backs off and sits down. Bonnie had crawled in to Bonnie’s lap and was curled up sleeping, Bonnie absently stroked her back. She then passes her over to Stu, and getting up the grandma’s make supper in the small kitchen for us all.

Later in the rec room I sit in my corner drawing what I feel. Susan is sitting beside me; our daughter is sitting on the floor playing with a ball we had given her. Weana comes over to us. “Hello I’m Weana who are you”? “Weana we go to sleep for a couple of years and you forget about us”? “I’m sorry, do I really know you”? “We were a lot smaller when you saw us last, but maybe this would help you to remember”. I turn the portfolio around and show her the picture of our first meeting. “Oh my God, Daniel”? “Yes, Weana it is”. “Wow you’ve gotten so big”. “Well a two-year coma can do that to a person, you remember Susan as well I assume”? “Oh, I’m sorry Susan I didn’t recognize you. You guys are what, like seven”? “Yes, Weana we are seven chronologically, but mentally we are closer to twenty-two”. She looks at us again, she looks closer at Susan. “Do you have milk breasts”? “Yes, Weana I do, how else would I feed our daughter”? Bonnie who had been sitting quietly until then, latches onto Weana’s leg, and starts to climb. “Ah, ah, Bonnie you know the rules no climbing on people without permission”. Weana is shocked, but reaches down and picks Bonnie up.

Bonnie cuddles into Weana’s neck and starts to Chirr as she wraps her paws around her neck. “You guys had a kit”? “Yes, Susan is my wife and mate and Bonnie is our daughter”. Weana gets an incredulous look on her face. “You guys are married”? “Yes, we married in June, and we started a family shortly thereafter”. “So, this means that I’m a great aunt”? “Yes, it does”. “Wow, I feel so old. I think she is the first great grand kit to my mom and dad. Can I take her to show to others”? “By all means, you be good now Bonnie”. “Will do mom”. Weana is shocked again, “she can speak”? “Only when she wants to, but yes, she can speak. The problem is to get her to keep quit sometimes”. “How old is she”? She’s about four and a half months”. “Are you all some kind of geniuses”? “Well, we are smart, so I guess it will run to our Kits.

We can feel the fun Bonnie is having bounding around the room, going from adult to adult. Eventually she tires and falls asleep in someone’s lap, I go to retrieve her. Stu who had passed out in front of the TV, had Bonnie in his lap. Bonnie had reached over and was absently petting her back. I picked her up, and sensing it was her dad, she drifted off to dream land again.

The next morning all the kerfuffle get a good look at Bonnie, they all have fun trying to catch her, she is fast. We manage to get her to sit down, so Nick can hand her, her gifts. She tears the package apart with her claws, some of the kerfuffle look at her with envy, as she has sharp claws to rip the wrapping off. We give her several small gifts, but they are for a three and up age range. Some building blocks, a remote-controlled car, a couple of plushies and several balls of different sports. She just hugs us and asks if she can go play. We let her go, but warn her about her claws and not to use them. And if she needs the washroom, to just ask an adult, and… before we could finish, we feel a mental shrug, and she is gone.

We are accepted by most of the adults as adults. Some know our true age, but they let it slide when they see how mature we appear to be. We play board games with some, William has started a video game tournament, he is now unbeaten in five rounds. We can hear down the hall Scott practicing his howl, he’s getting quite good. Some bunnies emulate him, it’s funny to hear a bunny howl. Suzie is across the room singing Christmas carols, Brian Hopps is playing the piano for her, he is quite good. Cindy has quite the fluffle around her, not sure what they’re talking about, but they are really into it. Not sure where the rest are, but they are all having fun. All in all, it’s a perfect day.

**From the Star News**

**By Chris Beavertom**

History was made today in our great city of Zootopia a cat and a dog had some kittens and pups. Yes, that sounds strange, but it did happen. As you can see by the picture, they had four offspring, two pups and two kittens. One pup is white with black socks and gloves and the other one is white with black ears and tail. The two kittens are both black with white ears and tails. Who knew that it was possible for this to happen, when asked the parents both said, they were a gift from one, they called Gab, who lived in a strange meadow? They were very vague on where this meadow was and when asked, clamed up about it. The science community has requested a DNA test be performed on the family to prove their claims. I for one believe them. More photos on page 14.

Larry didn’t tear up the paper this time, he calmly folded it and placed it back on the table. He headed for the workout room. He started to punch the bag all the while saying “damn hybrids”.


	6. Kidnapped and Proof

The Christmas season went well. We all managed to stay up for the ball drop, our daughter was instrumental in this. She would shriek in our minds every now and then to keep us awake, and as soon as the ball drop was over, she was the first one to fall asleep. We all had to watch out for toys under paw as she left them everywhere when she was finished playing with them. Those without night vision took to carrying a flash light around, so they wouldn’t step on something. We then had maintenance install some base board LED’s, for night time.

Shortly after the base board LED’s were installed, Scott broke Bonnie’s remote car. Bonnie didn’t cry she looked at Scott, and went primal on him. Scott ran as hard as he could to stay ahead of her. After about a minute, and just before she caught him, she fainted and rolled to a stop. Susan and I ran out of our room to find out what happened. Scott was in a corner trembling; he was so scared he wet himself. I went to Scott, Susan picked up our daughter, and took her to bed. I projected calm to Scott, and he clutched me crying and telling me how sorry he was.

When I got the full story out of him, we found there was no malicious intent on his part, but he did admit that he wasn’t being carful with her car. William picked up the pieces went to the work room to see what he could do with it. We had a talk with Bonnie when she woke up, and explained to her what she had done to Scott. Now was when she cried, she hadn’t wanted to hurt him, but she was just so mad. Right then after Susan had fed her, we started to teach her emotional control. She is a quick study.

When we came out of the bed room, Scott taking one look at her, rolled onto his back and bared his throat to her. Bonnie walked over to the trembling Scott and hugs him. “I’m sorry Scott, I didn’t mean to scare you, I was just so mad, my mom and dad have explained it to me, and have started to teach me emotional control. Can you forgive me”? She surprised us again by projecting love to him. Scott melts under her onslaught and hugs her back, going so far as to lick her. Bonnie just giggles, so Scott really goes to town licking and tickling her. Soon they are playing together like nothing had ever happened. William come out of the work room with her car, he had fixed it. When he handed it to Bonnie, Bonnie looked at it and hands it to Scott. They play with it together.

Later I stop Scott for a talk with him. “I’m sorry Bonnie scared you so bad, Scott have you been trying to get in touch with your inner self”? He just shakes his head no. “Can I ask why not”? He looks at me with tears in his eyes, “I know what all of you have done, but none of them have worked for me”. I just hold Scott as he cries, trying to think of how I could help him, an idea come to mind. “Scott, I want you to try something for me, you are a predator, use that instinct, think of chasing your self through a forest or tunnels like you were chasing prey, and when you catch yourself just hold onto yourself, I’m sure it will happen”. “Thanks Daniel I’ll try that”. Scott leaves the living room and heads for bed.

It was in the short days of winter when Susan and I were kidnapped.

We had been walking down to Cindy’s office to get the date of our appearance before the judges. We were appearing before a panel of five judges, to see if we could be elevated to adult status. The law could do this with a young offender, and we felt that we should be able to as well. The panel was to be convened and chaired by judge Harrison. As this was something new to law, we would have to convince all five judges of this. It would mean that we had all the rights and privileges of adults, and could never be referred to as kits again. If we did something wrong, we would be tried as adults.

We were about four blocks from Rocky and Cindy’s office, when we were both tranked. They managed to scoop us off the street with a vehicle decked out like an ambulance. No one was the wiser, and nothing looked out of place. Susan and I burned through the sedative before we were finished the ride to where ever we were going. We then stayed limp hoping to find out what was going on. We separated ourselves, and took in a bird’s eye view of were we were going. They drove us to a seedy warehouse down by the docks.

They were none to gentle as they unloaded us from the vehicle and dragged us into the warehouse. We were stripped and tied to two chairs. They then threw water on us trying to wake us up. We stayed limp but it was hard as the water was only one step up from freezing. We contacted our litter mates and told them to tell mom and dad where we were. We could only fake it so long before our bodies betrayed us. We started to shiver and shake. (We came too at this point). Imagine our fake surprise at finding out it was the two perps from the jewellery store shake down. They never checked our clothing for any recording devices, so we activated our recorders when he started to speak. There was a third mammal with them, I wondered if he was their boss.

“you two have caused me a lot of grief. I was off the radar tell you two stepped in. Are you under cover Z.CIA”? “No Sir”, I reply “we were just in the wrong place at the wrong time. If you know anything about us you know we just woke up from a coma eight months ago”. “A very convincing story, but if you did you should be seven-year-old kits, and you are adults as anyone can plainly see”. “Check our medical files, it would explain our age”. “Yes, that is a fanciful pack of lies, not very believable though”.

As I talked to him, Susan had been untying our bonds, she held on to the end of the rope, but we were ready to move when called for. Our leg bonds were harder for her as they were in the open, and we could not show movement of the ropes. Susan settled for weakening the ropes themselves, I fed her power to do this, and she managed to do them all before he spoke again.

“So, you’re probably wondering what I’m going to do with you two”. “Her I’m going to keep for a ransom, and a play thing for the boys, and you I’m just going to get rid of”. “Why”? “Because I can, Kill him”. With this I feel the gun barrel pressed up to the side of my head. I hear a click as Susan and I jump into action.

I chop the gun backwards, as it goes off. He shoots his partner in the leg. I then chop him across the throat like last time. I then rammed my fist into his muzzle, breaking it. He is out cold. Susan breaks the shot leg of the other perp, as he goes down, she punches his head into the floor. We then turn as one to the big boss. He has a shocked look on his face when he sees we have gone primal. “What are you two”? (I couldn’t resist) “Buddy we are your worst nightmare”. We then tie him up and wait for the Calvary.

Mom and dad and most of precinct 4 burst through the doors. Mom and dad lower their weapons as they can see we’ve got it under control. “Can’t you kids have a normal day like everyone else”? “Sorry dad, Susan and I don’t know what a normal day is”. Mom wraps a blanket around Susan and Dad wraps one around me. I can see dad is barely holding it together as he lets me go. Some of his fellow officers are shocked that I called him dad, I guess word hadn’t gotten around to all the precinct’s yet.

Our clothes had been wrecked by the water and oil they were thrown in. I went over and retrieved our recording devices. We had started to carry recording device that Rick had designed, Susan and I felt we would need them, so we carried them all the time. they would do both sound and video for about twenty minutes, and was permanently written to the device. They were a one-shot device once activated. The battery life was only good for twenty minutes on both video and sound, but as we were only doing sound it would last for about forty minutes. I had activated them when we had to wake up. When the pen is pulled apart, there is a mini USB port for plugging into a computer.

Vivian came to the precinct and gave us some clothes; we change in the locker room. We are debriefed, and asked some routine questions. the preps are cuffed to hospital beds again, and their boss is in interrogation. He lawyers up, and the chief is waiting for the lawyer before questioning can begin.

“Chief Bogo Sir, can we have a word with you”? “What would you like to talk about, Daniel”? “Sir I believe Susan and I can help you in the interrogation of that mammal”. “In what way”? “Sir we can tell when he is lying, and we may be able to get mental images of who he works for”. “We also have a recording of what happened in the warehouse”. “Give the recording to the T.O. department in the “rabbit hole”. Yes, I like that name it suits her department, I do have a sense of humor after all”. He just looks at us with his serious face, but we both can see him laughing on the inside.

I hand the recording devices to DeDe so she can make copies of them. DeDe takes them away to make copies, and puts the devices into the evidence locker. We spend a few more minutes talking with chief Bogo. “Chief can you give us a recommendation to the academy?” “I could, why?” “Sir we both want to be cops, and we feel that a recommendation from you will smooth our passage into the academy.” “Well I don’t have to do that for a few years, now do I?” Sir could you do it as soon as possible? We’re not sure when we will enter, and if it’s on record, they can’t dispute it”. “All right I will do it next week.” “Thank you, sir, could you also do it under Daniel J and Susan K? We don’t want to trade in the Wilde name”.” I can do that for you”. As we finish this conversation, I can feel a towering rage coming down the hall.

I open the door, and find dad just about to open the interrogation room door. “DAD STOP”. “Daniel let me go, he has to pay”. “He will dad, just not that way”. “Wilde what are you doing?” “Sir he tried to kill my son, and I want to make him pay”. “Wilde stand down, he will not be getting off on this one”. “Chief can we all go to the arms master? I think my dad needs proof again”. “What kind of proof, Daniel?” “Sir I had control of the perp’s gun, and it would not have fired”. “I know from the courses I have studied that the arms master will do a test firing of that gun, and the bullet we be looked at for any other crimes that might have been committed with it”. “That’s true, but how did you have control?” “Sir I think you both are going to need proof, it’s really hard to explain”. “All right let’s go see him”.

As we walk down the hall, dad keeps looking at me wondering what I am up to, I can feel his rage cool as we walk. When we get to the range, the Arms master is just setting up to fire the gun. He turns as the door is opened, the range in use light was on and no one was to enter. He was going to tear a strip off who ever it was, but stopped when he saw chief Bogo. “Chief what brings you here?” “Kyle we are here to witness the test firing of the pistol that was used in the abduction and confinement of Daniel here”. “Why is that so important”? “Daniel said he had control of the gun, and it would not have fired”. Well I can tell you it will fire, it’s just a simple revolver, and has not a lot of moving parts”. “Sir can my dad do the firing of the gun?” “I don’t see why not, but how is this proof?” “Sir, it will prove what I have told everyone”. “All right”, he unloads the gun and lays it on the counter.

Dad steps up but finds himself a little short for the counter. “Ah Daniel I can’t see over the counter”. “It’s ok dad, just step back”. Nick takes one step back. “Now dad I want you to take one step forward, but there is now a platform there so you will have to step up”. Dad gives me an incredulous look but does as I ask. He bumps his paw on the platform I had made, and nearly goes down on his face. He then looks at me with that look again, but does step up on the platform I have made. Chief Bogo and the arms master are both looking at dad and me, they have stunned looks on their faces. “Now dad I want you to pick up the gun, load it, and fire down the range”. The arms master comes out of his stunned mind enough to hand us all ear protection. Dad loads the gun and points it down range and pulls the trigger. CLICK! CLICK! CLICK! CLICK! CLICK! CLICK! “AH I don’t think I have live ammo”. “You do dad, try it again”. BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! Nick opens the revolver, dumps the casing out of it, and laying the gun on the counter, steps off of the platform.

Chief Bogo goes up to where the platform was and tries to step on it, his hoof comes down hard on the floor. “Daniel what did you do? “Sir, the easy explanation is I just stopped the air from moving, which creates a solid barrier”. “How can you do this?” “Sir while I was in the coma, I was learning how to do things like this.” “Well I would not have believed it, if I hadn’t seen it”. “Kyle Sir, can you get one more round for the gun?”

Kyle goes to his office and comes out with one more round. “Now I believe you still need a bullet for comparison, sir if you would load it and fire it down range, you will have your bullet”. “We normally use a water barrel for this”. “Yes Sir, you do, but humor me”. Kyle loads the gun and fires down range. I slow the bullet down and it gets about four feet down range before it falls to the floor. Kyle walks down range and picks up the bullet. He looks it over, “This is in better shape than if we had used a water barrel”. I stumble a bit as I move, dad sees this, and supports me a bit. “Daniel are you ok?” “Yes, dad I’m fine, I was using more energy than I was taking in, I’ll Be fine in a few minutes”. Chief Bogo looks at me with new respect. “Daniel I will do as you ask right away”. “Thanks chief”. Dad looks at me with a puzzled look, but doesn’t ask the question that is on his mind.

We walk back to interrogation; Susan just hugs me as we come into sight. His lawyer has arrived, surprise, surprise its MR. Setero. The chief ushers us into the recording room for the interrogation room. “Chief can I interrogate him?” Asks dad. “Wilde I can’t have you going off half cocked on him, some one else can do the interrogation of him.” Sir, I will not go half cocked on him, I will keep it very professional.” “Chief Bogo Sir, dad is telling the truth, he will not go off on him.” “Fine, but I want Judy in there too.” “Dad you and mom need to wear receivers, Susan and I will feed you information as we get it.” Mom is found and gets wired up, dad and her then step into interrogation.

“So, Mr. …. what do we call you?” He smirks at Judy, “You can call me Steve”. (“wrong, real name Ivan Gregoria”). Nick slams the table with the flat of his palm, “Why don’t we cut the crap Ivan Gregoria, yes, we know your real name.” The perp gets a shocked look on his face, what do these two cops know? “Where are you from Ivan?” “Oh, from here and there”. (“wrong again, he’s from new Reynard Raised there most of his life”).

Nick puts a smile on his face, “So, how’s new Reynard this time of year? I hear it can be pretty cold.” With this Ivan deflates a bit, and realises he’s screwed. “I want a deal. Immunity from prosecution.” “Sorry Ivan, you tried to kill my son, and I won’t let this one go away.” “It’s his word against mine.” Actually, it’s your word against yours, we have a recording of you ordering your henchmen to kill my son.” With this dad plays the recording that DeDe had made of my recording device.

“How about I give you the one that wants your son dead? Is that worth some thing?” “Not another word Ivan, as your lawyer I’m ordering you to shut up.” “Go to hell Setero, I’m not going to hang for him”. “Get out I don’t need you, your fired”. Setero get’s up and leaves the room. “Now what do you want to tell us”? “I still want that deal, not on the attempted murder, but on everything else I’m going to tell you. Leniency on the attempted murder charge would be nice too”. “We can’t promise anything, we will have to talk to the DEA”. “You do that I can wait”.

Mom and dad leave the room, and come into the recording room. “You can probably guess who wants me dead”. Mom looks at dad and they both turn towards me. “It’s Larry O’Hare isn’t it”? “Your right in one mom, Ivan use to work for Larry and shares his view on hybrids”. Ivan’s cover was He was production manager, but his real job was procurement of drugs and guns for sale on the streets. He tried to continue that but he is lousy at sales, and didn’t trust his contacts now that Larry was out of the picture. He’s the mammal responsible for the guns and drugs, and can probably give the ZPD info on the buyers. But you can’t go on what I tell you, you will have to make him confess, or give him the deal”.

“Thanks Daniel, Susan, your parents and I will take it from here, you can’t be seen as being involved at this point or the whole case will come down around our ears”. “Ok Chief, we are glad we could help this much”. We exit the recording room, as they start to argue about how to proceed.

We head home, and we receive some unusual looks as we walk down the street paw in paw. As we come in the door, a small blur rushes us and climbs up my leg and gloms onto my neck. Our daughter is crying as she hugs me. After a few she leaves me with a jump, and grabs onto Susan’s neck. I pull Susan into a hug, and we just hold our daughter in a hug, and project calm with our emotions.

She eventually settles down, and tells us how scared she was for us. We reaffirm to her that would be our job in the future, we were going to be cops. She gets it, but she is not happy. We hold her between us in bed, but it takes a long time for her to fall asleep, and she has a very restless night.


	7. The Academey

Oh, what a glorious spring day, we think as we walk through the park. Our daughter is running around us laughing and giggling and generally making a nuisance of herself. She is quite the gymnast, doing back flips and cartwheels, forward flips, and bouncing off everything she can. Some people give us strange looks, but most just laugh at her antics. One or two people are down right hostile but few will voice it.

I have been called prey chaser, preyo, and pervert. Susan has been called pred lover, predo, and pervert. But no one will voice anything against our daughter, the one time someone tried, we went primal on them and projected savageness. They called the cops saying there was a couple of savage beasts in the park. When Wolford and Fangmyer showed up, we had a nice conversation about it, and when they turned to look at the complainant, he was seen running away. They just laughed as they got back in their cruiser.

Scott came to us later that night to show us some thing. Susan and looked down at him as he went primal. He didn’t hold it for long, but it was long enough. We both reach down and hug him, telling him his next set of lessons starts tonight. He cocks his head sideways as he looks at us. “You now have to learn emotional control like Bonnie does, you don’t want to go off on someone like Bonnie went off on you, do you”? He lets out with a big sigh, and shakes his head no. “Good our bedroom after supper”. He nods yes, and heads for the living room to play.

Our court date went well, we were elevated to adult status, along with all our littermates. We now had the designate “M” behind our genders on our licenses. Yes, the first thing we did was to get drivers licenses. After the court ruled, a memo went out to all the city departments about the ruling. We even had to start paying taxes. Susan and I both pulled a wage from our bank accounts and paid taxes on that. Terry still paid capital gain taxes on the money he made us, but we only paid on the money we removed from that account.

When we applied to the academy, they told us no, but our lawyer made them see the light of day. (Cindy was good at winning discrimination law suites). Mom and dad still don’t know we were accepted into the academy, and we kept them in the dark tell the end of July.

We packed our bags about a week before the Academy check in. Our Daughter was scared for us, but we finally convinced her we could look after each other. She then wailed in our minds about missing us. We told her we were only a thought away and we would contact her every night before bed. She was not happy about this, but came to understand we still loved her even if we were away from her.

On Saturday morning we picked up our bags and headed for the kitchen. We plunked the bags down by the door. “So, Daniel, you and Susan planning a trip”? “Yes dad, Susan and I are going for a European back packing trip”. Our littermates, grandma and grandpa, and siblings started to laugh. “So, were you going to tell us before you left”? We started to laugh. “God dad, are you that gullible? No dad, we are doing something else”. With that Susan and I rip off our T shirts. Underneath we had T shirts with the word ZPD ACADEMY CADET printed on them.

Mom’s paws fly to her mouth, and dad’s jaw drops open. “Yo…your going to the academy? But how”? “Dad you remember that memo a few months back? about kits being elevated to adult status”? “Yes”. “Well that memo was referring to Susan and I, and all our littermates”. With this we all pull out our drivers’ licence’s and show dad. “Damn it Daniel, a little warning would have been nice”. “Yes, it would have, but where’s the fun in that”? “Now I know why Stu drinks”. We all laugh.

“What about your daughter”? “Nick, Peter and I will be looking after her”. “Wow mom, like what’s with all the secrets”? “It was only a secret from you and Judy. Daniel has a wicked sense of humor, or don’t you remember”? “Yes, I remember, but does he have to use it only on me and his mother”? Everyone laughs at that statement. “So, when are you starting at the Academy”? “Monday dad. We thought we would get there this afternoon, and get settled in”. Mom gets up and come around the table to hug us. “I’m going to miss you son. You look after him daughter”. “I will mom, and if he steps out of line, we...ll we will just have to see”. Mom laughs as she wipes her tears. Dad comes over, “I’ll be checking up on you two”. “We wouldn’t want it any other way dad”. He hugs us both, I thought he had gone savage with the fierceness of that hug. He hugs Susan just as hard.

Mom, dad, and everyone else all walk us down to the train station. We are swinging our arm back and forth between us with our daughter hanging on. We would occasionally throw her, she would either do a couple of back flips or forward flips, land on her paws, and come back laughing for us to do it all over again. As our train come in, we are hugged by everyone one more time, our daughter doesn’t want to let us go, but she does in the end. We board the train, and as it pulls out of the station, we wave to everyone till there all out of sight, and so begins our next big adventure.

When we arrive at the academy train station, there are a few more cadets getting off with us. There is an old badger manning the check in. “All right who be all of you”? “Sir my name is Daniel J”. “right another fox”. “Sir”? “I remember Wilde nine years ago, you going to pull the same stunts as him”? “No sir, I will be doing some different ones”. Everyone behind me laughs or snickers. “Oh, another smart one this year, I’ll be watching you “J”, your dorm room is five-B, think you can find it”? “Yes sir”. “Good Next”. “Sir, I’m Susan K”. “Right another bunny, do you know how many bunnies have come to the academy”? “No sir, how many”? “We’ve Had forty-two bunnies come to the academy, only six have passed, that’s one in seven, not very good odds. Do you think you can pass the academy”? “Yes sir, I will pass the academy”. “Oh, make sure young lady that your confidence doesn’t derail you. Your dorm room is one-A you will have two bunk mates, think you can live with a cat and a dog”? “Yes sir, I have no problem with other specie’s”. “Good, next”.

We follow the maps we were given and find our dorm rooms. We spent a few minutes memorizing the maps, and leave them in our dorm rooms. Susan is in the east wing, and I’m in the north wing. I can see her window from my window. We then head out for the cafeteria. We grab some carrot juice from a vending machine, and sit down at a table. We are shortly joined by a white tiger.

“Hi my name is Leon Lionhart, and before you ask, yes, I’m related to ex mayor Lionhart”. “Hi Leon, I’m Daniel J and this lovely lady is Susan k”. “I can speak for myself Daniel”. “God, are you guys married? because you act like you are”. “As a mater of fact, yes we are, but don’t tell anyone we are trying to keep it on the down low”. “Leon laughs, oh that’s a good one Daniel, I can tell you are going to be a riot this year. So how do you know each other”? “Well we did meet on the train over here”. “SO, how does a white tiger join a lion pride”? “Well I’m not a white tiger, I’m a tigon My mom was Lionhart’s younger sister and my father was a Bengali tiger”. “Wow Leon you and I have a lot in common, we’re both hybrids”. “What do you mean Daniel”? “Well I’m a cross between a bunny and a fox”. “No way, not possible”. “Sure, it is look at my ears, nose and rear paws”. With this I put my leg on the table and twitch my nose at him.

“Cadet get your hind paw off the table” says a white polar bear as she walks over to us. “I’m your main instructor this year cadets, you will jump to attention when I approach, and you will address me as Sergeant major, or ma’am, or sir, have you got that cadets”? We all jump to our feet “YES MA’AM”. “Good your formal training doesn’t start tell Monday, but a little respect before hand is appreciated, at ease cadets”. “THANK YOU, MA’AM,”. “I said at ease, names please”. I’m Daniel J”, “I’m Susan K”, and I’m Leon Lionhart”. “Thank you, carry on cadets”. With this she walks away. “So, are you really a hybrid”? “Yes, Leon I am. My DNA says that I’m sixty-percent fox and thirty-five- percent rabbit”. “wow that’s one for the medical journals”. “It is, page fifty-five if I remember correctly”. Leon starts to laugh really hard. “Oh, your going to be a real riot”.

Susan and I walk the grounds looking things over. The obstacle course is daunting but we have a small advantage, we asked mom and dad how they did it, and got the pictures on how they did it. I also got the pictures of what dad did for jokes, and had a whole set of new ones to try. I kiss Susan goodnight as I head for my dorm room. We kissed in an area with no camera coverage. As I walk into my dorm room, I find Leon and a timber wolf in two of the other beds. Leon looks at me, and laughs, “you trying to get chummy with Susan, Daniel”? “Naw, I want to take her off grounds and make wild passionate love to her”. The wolf looks at me with disgust while Leon laughs. “Would that even work “J”? “It might, who can say”. The wolf looks at me, “prey chaser”.

I can feel what’s got him riled up, and really, I don’t want anything to do with him. “Well sir that may be true, but at least I’m not bitter about past love life failures”. He tries to pin me to my bed with one bound, but I can see it coming and roll out of the way. As he lands, I give him a swift kick in the jewels. He doubles over in pain and whines as he holds himself. I can hear paw falls coming down the hall. Before he can get off my bed the sergeant major is at the door.

“What’s going on in here cadets”? “Sir”, he gets out through his whines, “He attacked me”. “Is this true “J”? “No ma’am, I made a bad joke and this wolf took it the wrong way, and when I gave it back to him, he attacked me, I was just defending myself”. You know fox, I almost believe you, lets go down to the monitor room and straighten this mess out”. She helps the wolf up, and we all go down to the monitor room. We all sat in the chairs in the hall and the major goes in to review the footage.

The Sergeant major comes out of the recording room. “Well Darwin what do you have to say for yourself”? “I’m the victim here, why don’t you ask him”? “I did remember? His versions of the events pan out, it was a bad joke and you used speciest comment back to him. When he gave it back, you attacked him. The recording clearly shows this. Tell me why I shouldn’t throw you out of the academy”. “My father will hear about this”. “That may be so, but I can’t trust you not to attack other cadets. Therefore, I have no choice…”. “Sergeant major ma’am, may I speak”? “Yes Daniel, what have you got to say”? “Ma’am I feel that this has all been a big misunderstanding, and if Darwin here would like to defend his honor in the ring, I would be more than willing to oblige him”. “You would fight a mammal more than twice your weight”? “Yes ma’am, I feel this would be beneficial for everyone”. “Well Darwin do you accept his challenge”? “Yes ma’am, I do, bring it on fox face”. He says this with an evil grin.

“ALL CADETS TO THE GYM I REPEAT ALL CADETS TO THE GYM”. Leon offers to take my place but I decline his offer. “Daniel he’s going to wipe the mat with you”. “No, he’s not Leon, I can guarantee that he will not be able to lay a paw on me”. “How Daniel”? “You’ll see”. Darwin and I get geared up.

The fighting instructor checks us over and gives his approval for the ring. All the instructors and cadets are in the gym to watch us fight. Susan just shakes her head at me. “Go get him tiger” she sends to me. “All right fox this is your funeral, don’t say you weren’t warned”. “Thank you, sir, you are”? Sorry I’m your fight instructor sergeant Wilford go show me what you’ve got fox”. “Will do sir”.

Darwin and I step into the ring, the bell is sounded. Darwin immediately goes on the offensive, I just let him wear himself out. “Stand still fox, and let me hit you. I’ll go easy”. “Not happening wolf”. The bell is sounded and we take a rest in our corners. “So, Daniel”, says Wilford, “hypothetically speaking if I was to walk into a DOJO and see you fighting, what color of belt would I see you wearing”? “Sir hypothetically speaking if that was to happen, I would be wearing a black karateka”. His eyes get big, “Well that does explain a lot, carry on”. The bell is sounded for the next round.

Darwin tries some dirty moves on me, but I easily avoid them. By the middle of the round I go on the offensive. I land punch after punch on him, by the sounding of the bell he can barely stand. “Daniel, I admit I’m enjoying the show, but you are playing with him”. “Yes sir, I want him to know this”. “Yes, I can see the objective lesson here, is he worth it”? “Yes sir, everyone deserves a shot at redemption”. “Right carry on”. The bell is sounded and Darwin goes on the offensive again, but it is short lived. As he gets close, I throw an uppercut, I lift him off his paws, and he measures his length on the mat. The fight is done and I step out of the ring.

Darwin is taken away to medical, and I receive back slaps from just about everyone. “Daniel”, says the fight instructor, “can I see you in my office”? “Yes sir, I’ll be right in”. when I get to his office there are four other instructors with him. “Daniel that was a bit unfair to Darwin”. “No sir, it wasn’t, as police officers we have to be ready for anything, Darwin had a holier than thou attitude which is unsuitable for a police officer, I just showed him that he was not prepared for the mean streets of Zootopia”.

“Right I can see that, but we are the instructors not you”. “Yes Sir, if he has learned what I taught him, he will be able to learn from you the right way to do things”. “Daniel how old are you really”? “My mental age is much older than my physical age”. “Right we can see that, and how old are you physically”? “Ah sir, you remember that memo that went around a few months ago? The one about raising kits to adult status”. “Yes, I thought it was a little far fetched, but I don’t make laws”. “Right sir, that memo was referring to me and my litter mates. Sir, I’m chronologically eight-years old, but my mental age is closer to twenty-eight. I have fourth-year university courses under my belt”.

“Daniel how did you get through the entrance interview”? “Sir they saw the merit in what I said and did, and the reference from Chief Bogo probably helped too.”. “You know chief Bogo”? “Yes sir, I have been training officer at the precinct for about four years now, but I had to take twenty-one months off for a coma”. ‘Daniel that’s quite the story, how can we believe you”? “Sir I didn’t want to use my family name, but if you need all that information my full name is Daniel J Wilde”.

“So, you’re here under false pretenses”? “No sir, the board knew my full name and I wanted a fair shake at the academy. My parents are good cops and I didn’t want to be measured by what they could do”. “Right Daniel it’s been a long day is there anything else you want to tell us”? “Not at the moment sir, I am kind of tired though”. “Right we are going to move Darwin out of your dorm and put him in another one”. “Sir, am I allowed to stay”? all the instructors look at each other and nod their heads yes. “Yes, Daniel you are allowed to stay, for now, you have proven to us you can be trusted, and we like a cadet who can think on his paws”.

As I get to the blind corner, Susan grabs me and pulls me into a kiss. After a few we break apart and head for our dorm rooms. We talk to our daughter as we lay in our beds, we mentally kiss and hug her as we fall asleep.


	8. Academy 2

Sunday morning, I wake up a little sore, but I have a cure for that. Susan and I go to the gym and start our routine. Were about half way through when the fight master joins us in the routine. He is good and rock steady as well. As we finish, we fist palm to each other. “So, Daniel, care to try your luck against me”? “Sorry sir, I’m a little sore from yesterday”. “Sir, if you like you can try me” says Susan. “Yes, I believe I would, after you young lady”.

They step into the ring, bow to each other and begin to fight. He’s good, really good, but Susan is better. Susan holds back and they fight to a draw. They step away from each other and bow to each other. “Thank you for that work out, it was exhilarating, but next time please don’t hold back”. Susan blushes.

The fight master just laughs, “Daniel are you as good as Susan”? “Yes, sir I am”. “Well now what DOJO do you two attend”? “We go to the DOJO on fourth and twenty-ninth ave”. “Well now, that’s very exclusive are your parents rich”? No sir they are just every day working joes”. “So how can you afford it”? “We were invited to attend by MR. Delaront, he was our teacher. There were some unusual circumstances when we were training, and they didn’t charge us”. “So, am I to assume that you both have the same rank”? “Yes, sir we do”. “During normal fight training would you be willing to be my assistants”? “Yes sir, we would”. “Good I will set it up with Sergeant Major Ursula. Fight training starts tomorrow at fifteen-hundred, I will see you then”.

We spend the day with Leon and explain the obstacle course to him, he is amazed at our insights. We try the rainforest district; we have all kinds of fun. Susan and I swing from “vines” ropes actually, and Leon tries the horizontal ladder. he falls about two-thirds of the way across, but because the water hasn’t been turned on, he lands on his paws on the hard clay.

We head into the cafeteria for some drinks. There are a lot more cadets than this morning. We go and sit down at the table we have chosen as ours. A Snow leopard joins us. “Hello my name is Kathy Peryton, but my friends call me snowball”. “Hello Kathy, my name is Daniel J”. “Hi Kathy, I’m Susan K”. “And I’m Leon L”. Susan and I can tell Leon is uncomfortable with her, but it’s not her its him. I can fell the pain in his heart. “So, Susan, don’t all these sharp teeth around here scare you”? “No, I grew up with sharp teeth around me, they don’t scare me”. That’s good, as we are room mates and I didn’t want to scare you”.

“You won’t unless you deliberately attack me, and then you may be in for a surprise”. She laughs, “I like you, you may call me snowball”. “So, you handsome tod you, got anyone in your life”? “Yes, Kathy I do, and we are in love, and are happily married”. “Wow, shot through the heart, and we only just met, I like you as well, you can call me snowball”. “So, Leon, are you in a relationship”? “No, I’m not, and I’m not ready for one, sorry”. “Wow, such honesty, I can respect that, you can call me snowball too”.

A horn is sounded for supper. It’s a lot like a military mess hall, but we get to choose what we want to eat. The cook’s helper tried to spoon some meat on to my plate, but I pull it away fast. He gives me a strange look. “I’m a vegan I reply”. He looks at me in an incredulous way, but shrugs and helps the next mammal. As we all sit down, Leon looks at me and my mound of vegetables.

“I know foxes are omnivores but I don’t see any protein on that plate”. “Sure, there is Leon, it’s just not in the form of meat or bugs, I’m a vegan”. “wow that is strange, do you not like meat”? “No Leon I don’t, it just smells bad to me”. “You have never eaten meat”? “No, I haven’t, and I won’t be starting any time in the near future”. “So, does me meal bother you”? “No, it doesn’t, my dad eats meat all the time, he says chicken and noodles are good. My mom eats salad and veggies exclusively”.

“Wait your mom eats only veggies, and your dad eats meat, are your parents a mixed species couple”? Asks Kathy. “Yes, they are, my dad is a fox and my mother is a rabbit”. “Were you adopted”? “No, I wasn’t my dad and my mom are my biological parents, I’m sixty-percent fox and thirty-five-percent bunny”. “Wow I’ve never met a hybrid before”. “Well Leon is a hybrid too”. She looks closer at Leon. “He just looks like a white tiger to me”. “I’m a tigon actually, my mother was Leo Lionheart’s little sister and my father was a Bengali tiger, Charles was his name”. “Leo Lionheart, as in ex mayor Lionheart”? “Yes, that’s the one”. She can’t think of anything else to say so goes quiet as she eats her meal.

Later in the dorm room Susan helps Kathy unpack. “So. Tell me Susan, how long have you and Daniel been married”? “Very astute of you snowball, but no one was to find out, Daniel and I were trying to keep it quiet, how did you figure it out”? “Susan I can see your bond with Daniel, if I had to say, I would say you have been married for years. Your bond with him is as strong as the bond my parents have with each other”.

“Well Daniel and I have known each other since we were born, and our bond has been there since then. You can see our bond”? “Yes, I can, I can also see the bond Leon shares with his mate, though it is fraught with anger, not on his part but hers, she is mad at him for some reason”. “That’s quiet the gift Kathy, have you always been able to do that”? “Yes, I have, it can be a real burden some times. But it has saved me as well, I can see anger and deception, and can avoid situations like that”. Just then a timber wolf rushes into their dorm room.

“Hi girls, which bed is mine”? “Well we have these two, you can pick any other one as your own”. ‘I’m Donna Wolfson by the way, glad to meet you”. She stops and looks closer at Susan. “I don’t scare you, do I? If I do, I can always ask for another room”. “No, it’s fine Donna, I have grown up around predators, in fact my grand father is a white wolf”. “Wow how does that work”? “Well he did marry my guardians’ grand mother”. “You have guardians”? “Yes, my parents died when I was only three, and have been raised by a fox family since then”. “How does a bunny end up with a fox family”? “It’s a long story, and I’m really not allowed to talk about it”. “Right, says Donna, lets get you settled in”, says Kathy to Donna as she helps her unpack.

Leon and I are just sitting on our beds talking about nothing in particular, when a gazelle and a bob cat come in. “Hi guys I’m Steve horns and the bob cat over there is my bestie Howard Growler. We have known each other since grade school”. “Hi Steve and Howard, I’m Daniel J and over there is LL”. Leon looks at me and just smiles, “I like that”. “So, do any of you snore? I hope not as I am a light sleeper”. “I don’t snore, do you Leon”? “No Daniel I don’t”. “So, I guess you have your answer”.

“Did you see that hot rabbit? Wow she’s quite the dish”. “Oh, I wouldn’t be bothering her, Daniel here has the hots for her already, and you don’t want to mess with him”. “Why’s that”? “Saturday night, in the ring Daniel beat up a wolf, A bad joke got out of hand, and Darwin challenged Daniel in the ring. Darwin didn’t lay one paw on Daniel for two rounds, then Daniel laid him out with one punch. I have never seen such a one-sided fight before, if I had to say, it looked like Daniel was trying to teach him a lesson”. “Leon I really wasn’t trying to teach him a lesson so much as to show him how wrong his attitude was for a cop”. “well be what may, it was quite the fight to see, a fox K.O. a wolf”. “Wow wish I had been here to see it”. “You may still get to see it; I heard some thing about a new training video”.

“So, gents, I’m going to hit the hay, we are all going to have a long day tomorrow. The sergeant major will be pushing us to our limits and beyond. The first week of training is to weed out the ones who won’t try, it won’t be about finishing a task, but to try doing it”. ‘Wow Daniel, where do those insights come from”? “Well I may have talked to a couple of cops before applying, it pays to think ahead”. “Yes, I can see that, any more insights to pass along”? “when the time comes, I will, night gents”.

“So, girls it’s getting late, and I need to be up early tomorrow”. “Why do you need to get up early”? “Daniel and I start our day with an isometrics routine, then go for a shower and then breakfast”. “Wow what time do you get up”? “We both start our day at five, you are welcome to join us in the routine. It will be a long day we will be pushed to our limits, and we need to try everything”. “Like the gazelle song”? “Yes, Donna just like the song”. “Night girls”.

Susan and I link up and hug our daughter, and wish her a good night. She cries and tells us she misses us. We just hug her harder with our love. She eventually lets us go as she falls asleep. Kathy watches Susan and I as we hug our daughter, we break our connection with each other, and fall asleep as well. I can feel Kathy watching us, and wonder how she can do that. Kathy has a smile on her muzzle as she falls asleep as well.


	9. The Academy 3

The next morning, I wake up and can tell Susan is already up and in the gym. She’s not alone I can fell Kathy and Donna with her. “and here he comes the mammal of the hour”. I just smile at the girls and kiss my wife. Donna lets out with a wolf whistle. “Wow Susan you move fast, has he got a brother”? “Several, but their already spoken for”. “Rats, just when I thought I was in love”. Just then Leon and Steve, and Howard stumble into the gym. Right behind them, surprise is the fight master. “well I see I’m not the only early riser, what are you all doing in the gym at this hour”? “Sir Susan and I start our routine at this time of the morning, everyone else decided to join us as well”. “You know this won’t go towards anything”? “Yes sir, but it is our routine”. “Right, lets get to it shall we”?

“All right everyone first is stance, Good everyone. Next is your arms, Howard arms a little higher, Steve arms a little lower and further apart. Donna your stance is a little off, straighten out your left leg, good all right everyone, those with long tails follow me, and those with short tails follow Susan. We will speed up the routine so you can all get a feel for it. The object of the routine is to go as slow as you can. Don’t worry or feel bad if you fall over, I did many times as I was learning. Now tighten up your bodies, the object is to pit one muscle against the other, Ready? Let’s begin”.

Fall over they did, but get up and continue they did as well. Most were panting as the routine finished. The fight master gave us a nod as he left. We all headed for our dorms and grabbing some clothes head for the showers. Later under the shower heads conversation begins.

“Wow Daniel, you do this every morning”? “Yes, I do, well every week morning that is, it can be very rewarding, and isometrics is the beginning of the style of fighting I do. The art of “avoidance” is fighting without appearing to fight, you saw this on Saturday night Leon”. “Right, that was amazing, you flowed out of the way of every punch and swipe”. “How long did it take you to learn it”? “About two months to learn it, and about eight months to master it. But I’m a quick study, it might take you longer”.

“So, can you tell us what to expect today”? “Sargent major Ursula Will be pushing us to our limits. A lot of cadets drop out in the first week. The cop I talked to said in his first week twelve cadets dropped out. They started with a class of eighty-eight but by graduation they we down to a class of forty”. “Wow those aren’t very good odds”. “Well I for one have confidence in you guys, you will make it”.

“So, Susan, are you going to get it on with that good-looking fox”? Susan just laughs. “No Donna, Daniel and I won’t be getting it on here at the academy. We will wait till we are off grounds to do anything”. “So, you are already an item”? “Yes, Donna we are an item, you could say we are married”. “Really? You are a pred chaser”? Susan can see she didn’t mean it the way it came out. “I guess I am, but I’m really not chasing him, I already caught him. We have a beautiful daughter already”.

“Your really married? I thought you were joking”. “We were married just over a year ago, and our daughter was conceived on our wedding night. It wasn’t planned, but since when has life gone according to plan”? “Was that who you were communicating with last night”? asks Kathy. “Yes Kathy, it was, we promised her we would communicate with her every night before bed”.

“Wait a minute back up, your married to a fox, and you have a kit? How is that possible, foxes and rabbits are to dissimilar species to have kits”. “Daniel is not all fox, he is part bunny too, he is a hybrid. His mother is a bunny and his father is a fox”. “But, by all rules of genetics he should not exist”. “Yes Donna that’s true, but exist he does, and he’s all mine. Can you keep our secret Donna? The academy knows, but the other cadets don’t, and we would like to keep it that way”. “I can keep your secret Susan, if you give me some inside tips on how to complete my training”. “Deal” “I was planning to give tips away to you gals anyway”. “Well damn, there goes my ace card”. All three laugh.

“All right maggots, worms’ ticks, and fleas. I’m sergeant major Ursula, you will jump to attention when I am near, and you will address me as sergeant major, ma’am, or sir, got that? Yes ma’am. “Louder I can’t hear you”. YES MA’AM. “Good, now you will be doing physical exercise with me, and be running the course later in the week. I will not tolerate slackers, so if you feel you can’t perform, leave now. There is no shame in leaving before you begin”. No one took her up on the offer.

“After I'm done with you, at ten-thirty, you will have a half-hour to clean up before your next class. Don’t skimp on the soap, hot water, or clean clothes, we have plenty of all for everyone. From eleven to twelve you are in the class room. You will then have a half hour for lunch. After lunch, you will be in the classroom with Your next instructor, you will be studying police procedures till two-forty-five. You will then have a fifteen-minute break, before the fight master has his go at you. When the fight master lets you go at five-thirty, you again will clean up before supper. After supper you have free time before bed, I suggest you do your studying at that time. Do you have any questions”? No one raised a paw or asked a question. “Good I see you all understand, now drop and give me twenty”.

“All right cadets, I am your fight instructor, Sergeant Wilford, I’m not as strict as sergeant major Ursula, but I will still command your respect. This year I will be doing things a little different, I will be training all the large mammals in hand to hand, and my new assistants will be training the rest of you. Daniel J and Susan K will train you in the art of “Avoidance”, Yes I admit it sounds lame, but this video should show you what can be accomplished with it”. With that pronouncement the fight I had with Darwin is displayed on the wall.

I can see and feel Darwin in the back of the room, getting madder and madder at me. “So, as you can see by the video Daniel avoided Darwin’s attacks, and Darwin wore himself out attacking Daniel. Then when he was tired, Daniel ended the fight. This is what I want you all to learn, think how valuable this training is, if the perp wears himself out, you have an easier time in arresting him or her. I will also be teaching hand to hand to anyone who feels that they can’t learn from these two. All right time to begin, all large mammals, and those who don’t what to learn the art, move to my left, those who want to learn the art, move to the right”.

The class separates in two, about sixty-percent are on the right. “All right cadets, you will give the same respect to Daniel and Susan as you would to me, “yes sir’s” need not apply to Daniel and Susan but you will respect them”. With that Susan and I explain the routine to all. I lead them all, while Susan moves through the crowd correcting mammals as we go. And so, begins hell week for us all.

In the first week, twelve cadets dropped out and four more were asked to leave. I thought I was in good shape, but I found out how far out of shape I was. Major Ursula pushed us all to our limits. Susan and I were the only ones to make it through the obstacle course on the first go, but we were nowhere near the twenty-minute time limit. We still did our routine in the morning, and as the week progressed, most of the class started to join us in it. Some of those who were doing hand to hand started to watch us in the morning.

Saturday dawned warm and bright. Susan and I took a picnic blanket, sandwiches, drinks and went on an adventure. We traveled outside the perimeter, and found a small waterfall. We stripped and dove in. It was very cold, but very invigorating. We kissed under the falls, and did some other things. We eventually crawled out of the water and just lay there on the blanket in the sun. We fall asleep and wake up about two in the afternoon. We wake up to a wolf whistle and some snickering.

I just smile at Donna and Kathy as we sit up. “Well now that was quite the sight, you know your well endowed for a fox right”? “That may be Donna, but my wife may have a thing to say about sharing, and I for one would not take the chance. And besides I don’t want anyone else”. Susan gives me a quick kiss on the side of my muzzle. I just turn and plant one on her lips, we hold it for a long time. “Ok, you two go get a room”. “We had one till you both showed up, how did you find us “? “Well it wasn’t hard, we walked the perimeter till Donna and I smelt you two, we then went up wind till we found you”. “I tell you; sun baked fox and rabbit have a very particular odour. With that Kathy and Donna lay out their own blanket and stripping down, lay on the blanket to worship the sun as well.

Darwin who had followed them, just stayed in the bushes and watched us all for about fifteen minutes, then slowly faded back into the bushes and left us. Susan and I felt him there, but as he backed off, we resumed our conversation with Donna and Kathy. We could see the bond forming between these two, and wondered if it was more than just a friendship. Just before the sun set, we all got dressed and walked back to the academy.

Come Monday the second week was just as hard as the first, some of the mammals who were learning hand to hand started to walk across the floor and join us in the routine. The fight master just shook his head and let them go. By the end of the week we had most of the class with us, minus the large mammals. We had the routine down to twenty-five minutes, with very few balance problems. By the end of the third week we started to teach flow, balance came into play at this point but most were getting good at it. By the end of the fourth week, the routine was down to our normal thirty-minutes with no one falling over, I was very impressed at the whole class. Susan stopped walking around correcting mammals, and stood at the front with me, leading the class. Those with long tails followed me, and those with short tails followed Susan.

By the end of the fifth week Susan and I had not only got the obstacle course down below twenty-minutes, we had set a new course record. We beat mom’s old record by one whole minute. Major Ursula was impressed, no one else had broken the twenty-minute mark. Susan and I ran the course separately and as a team, we held the record for team work as well. We moved on to the next phase of our training.

The next phase of training was situational. We were suited up in protective gear, and handed small mammal paint ball guns. We then went into the situational rooms. One was an apartment, one was a warehouse, one was night time in the field, and one was daytime in the field. Most instructors loved this training as they got to shoot unsuspecting cadets. But with Susan and I we left them frustrated, our suits were clean and theirs were spattered with paint. We could feel where they were at, and worked as a team to defeat them. The only time we got splattered was when one instructor used another as a shield. We still did training in the afternoon, but most of the class were good enough for the fight master to just step in once in a while. Most of the class joined us in the morning for more training but some had moved on to hand to hand. After a few weeks of this it was time for the range.

We walk into the range, and are surprised to see Kyle is our instructor. “Kyle sir”? “Not Kyle, Kevin, how do you know my twin brother”? “Sir he has trained us in the past”. “If my brother did train you what level are you”? “Sir, we are both marksman level”. “Really, do I hear a bit of bragging in your voice”? “No sir, just stating fact”. “And what type of gun have you been trained on”? “Sir, we are marksman on a mark-ten”. “Well now that’s a big gun for your size, are you sure”? “YES Sir”. “All right let’s see you in action”.

With this he goes into the armory and comes back with two mark-ten cases and fifty-rounds each for the guns. “Sir do you have high speed cameras on the range”? “Why, do you think you can fool the camera”? “No Sir, we just need it for verification”. “In all my years training cadets I have never seen one this confident in his abilities. What about you, young lady? Are you claiming to be as good as he is”? “Yes Sir, I am”. “Ok, I’m your range officer, what I say goes, you will listen and obey me in everything is that clear, cadets”? “Yes Sir”.

"Right open your cases and inspect your guns”. We open our cases and smiling at each other tear the guns down in ten-seconds, inspect them, and reassemble them in another twenty-seconds. “Very good, I was not expecting that kind of proficiency right from the start. Load your first clip, and when your ready, you may fire down range at the targets”. We put our hearing protection in before we load the clip. Once the clip is loaded, we take our stance, load our guns and fire down range. Once the gun has locked open, we drop the clip, set the gun down, and step back from the stanchion.

“Well now I can see my brothers influence in how you do things, shall we look at your targets”? With this he pulls the switch that pulls the targets back to us. He is disappointed to see only one hole on the paper. “I thought you said you were marksman? I only see one hole through the paper, though I can see it is dead center”. “Sir, this is where the high-speed camera comes in, if you check you will see that all ten bullets went through the same hole”. He gets a look of incredulity on his face, but goes to the monitor and watches the cameras. He replays the video and is absolutely floored by what he saw.

“You weren’t kidding about being marksmen, but I find that a little low to describe you two. I would classify you two as ace shooters”. “Sir we are just marksmen”. “Right, so what range are you good for”? Sir we are good at all ranges, but our grouping falls off when we reach the range limit for the gun”. How big does you grouping get”? “Sir is this a sixty-yard range”? “No, it’s a seventy-five-yard range”. Then at seventy-five-yards our grouping would be about eight-inches”. “Would you be willing to show me”? “Yes Sir”. “All right load your next clip, and show me”. As we loaded our clips, he ran two new targets down range for us. We looked over at him, and he nods for us to go. We take our stance, and fire down range. When the guns lock open, we again drop the clip and setting the gun down, step back from the stanchion.

When he sees the target, he is surprised, we both have a six-inch grouping. “Wow You two are amazing, would you be willing to try a mark-eleven”? “No Sir, it doesn’t have enough weight on the front to stop the kick up. It would be very dangerous for us to try”. “Right, I Have heard that complaint before, would you be willing to try a sniper rifle”? “Yes Sir, I believe we would”. “Good bring you guns and let’s go clean them, we will try the rifles tomorrow”.

Tomorrow didn’t happen as mom and dad show up with the new mark-ten.


	10. Changing times

“Judy look out” screamed Nick as they narrowly avoided another car. “Shut up and let me drive, Nick”. Nick just hangs on for dear life as Judy chased the get away car from the bank heist. They were slowly gaining on them, when one of the perps sticks a gun out the window and fired at their police cruiser. Two shots shattered the front windshield Nick kicked at the window tell he had got it mostly out of the way, Judy then sped up again. The perps were wildly swinging back and forth so their ability to hit the cruiser was minimal. They did hit some civilian cars, and Judy had to avoid them as they hit their brakes.

There were four other cruisers following them, and five more doing a rolling barrier about one mile ahead. As Judy gunned it, “This stops now” she said as she did a pit maneuver on the perp’s car. As the car turned sideways a gun came out the side window, and shot at their cruiser again. Both Nick and Judy ducked, but as luck would have it the perps got their left front tire. The cruiser flipped on to its side, but pinned the getaway car to the cement divider. The perps all bailed out of the car, one looked back at the helpless cops, smiled as he raised his gun. He didn’t get the chance to pull the trigger though, as he was hit by one of the cruisers following them. He flew high in the air, and landed hard on the pavement fifty-feet down the road.

Nick gets his seatbelt undone, and falls on Judy who wasn’t moving. “NO, NO, NO, JUDY”! “Shut up you dumb fox, and get off of me”. “God don’t scare me like that, I though I had lost you”. “Well your stuck with me, help me get this seatbelt off, will you”. Nick gets her seatbelt undone and they both stand up. Judy collapses immediately. “Damn I think I have a broken leg”, and I think your right paw is broken Nick”. Nick looks at his right paw which has a finger bone sticking out of it. “Well I see your right fluff, brilliant deduction detective”. Judy tries to punch his arm. Nick supports Judy with his good paw as they limp out of the wreck.

Later in the hospital… Chief Bogo looks at them both.” Wilde’s this is the last straw, I need you in my office tomorrow at nine, think you could manage that”? “Sir”? “We need to discuss your future with the ZPD”. “But Sir, we were only doing our jobs”. “No more, tomorrow, we will discuss this then, and dress in civvies”. Bogo leaves the examination room. Judy has a badly sprained knee. It’s now wrapped with a knee brace, Nicks finger has been splinted and stitched shut, both are given pain killers and Nick is given antibiotics, when done, their both sent home. Judy and Nick take a cab home from holy cross. They limp into the lobby, Judy is using a cane, JR looks at them with concern. “its not as bad as it looks JR, were just a little banged up is all”. “I swear Nick you would have to be half dead before you will admit you are hurt”. JR just shakes his head as the elevator closes on them.

As they come in the door, they are mobbed by Justin, Izzy, Scott, Terry, Suzie, Bonnie, Cindy, Vivian and Peter. “Guys, Guys just let us come in and sit down” said Nick trying to make his way into the living room. Mom and dad sit down in the living room. Izzy lays her paws on mom’s knee. Judy can feel the pain relief in her knee. “thanks Izzy” “Your welcome mom, but I have left the soft tissue injury alone, can’t have you getting better in one day can we”? “No, your right, would look kind of odd”. She grabs Nicks paw and heals the bone. “Same with you dad, the split and soft tissue I left alone”. “Thanks Izzy”.

“So how did you guys get so banged up”? Nick and Judy recount the chase to everyone. They left out nothing. “So, your mother and I may be out of a job tomorrow, the chief was not his happy go lucky self”. “Nick, since when is the chief ever happy”? I’ve seen him happy, but like when I was hustling, he hides it very well”. “Nick do you really feel he will fire us”? “Don’t know fluff, but let’s not worry about that till we are in his office tomorrow”. Bonnie hugs them both and cries a little bit. All our sibling hug mom and dad. Vivian looks at her son, and just hugs him with tears in her eyes. Peter picks up mom and hugs her hard.

The next morning dressed in civvies, they limp into the precinct, Nick and Judy had stiffened up, even after the hot tub. Clawhauser greets them with his jovial self. They say good morning to Clawhauser and head for the chief’s office. As they get to his door, and before they can knock, they hear the word “enter”. As they go in the first thing Nick notices is there are several cameras around the room with evidence tags on them. Why would the chief have evidence in his office? Nick just shrugs, and joins Judy in the too large chair in front of Chief Bogo.

Bogo puts his paperwork down, and stares at the two small mammals in front of him. “I’m sorry guys the higher ups have spoken. If I had my way you would stay here with me, but I have to follow protocol. Nick, Judy, this is the fifth chase you have been involved in, in the last four years. Three cruisers you have totaled, along with millions in property damage. But to be fair, you did get the bad guys. You two are loose cannons, and I can’t have a couple of loose cannons running around as patrol officers”. “Badges”, says the chief holding out his hoof. Both Nick and Judy pull their badges out of their pockets. Judy stares at hers with a tear in her eye as she passes it over. Nick looks at his with a sad look on his face, not for losing his badge, but for the fact that Judy was losing hers. He passes his over as well.

“I am sorry you two, but I have small gifts from my office to you”. Bogo slides two blue boxes across his desk, they are bigger than badge boxes. Nick and Judy pick up the boxes from the edge of the desk, and sitting back down open them. On the left side is a pewter coin saying “GOT YOU” on the right there is a new shiny detective badge with their names on them. Nick and Judy sit there in shock, just like the time they were told Daniel was their biological son. Chief Bogo just roars out a laugh.

When chief Bogo get himself under control, he stabs the intercom. “Did you get that Kaylee”? “Yes Sir, we have the whole thing on tape, and the monitors around the precinct have shown the whole thing”. “Right, thank you”. Chief Bogo turns to the newly minted detectives in front of him, who still have stunned looks on their faces. He starts to laugh again. Nick and Judy don’t know what to say as they look at each other. They smile and hug each other. They then break apart, and smiling, look at the chief. “Your promotion came through about a week ago, and I have been looking for a way to get both of you. The high-speed chase was just what I needed. Oh, God, the looks on your faces was price less, there should be a picture up on the bulletin board by the time you leave my office. You will be reporting to lieutenant Lister on the fourth floor. I’m finally done with you Wilde’s, you can go be a pain in Listers butt”.

Nick thinks for a minute and gets an evil grin on his face, he slowly moves his phone out of his pocket and points it at the chief. “Well sir, you may be done with Judy and I, but the next generation of Wilde’s will be a pain in your butt as well”. Chief Bogo still chuckling smiles at him, “well I don’t have to worry about that for a few years now, do I”. “Ah chief, Daniel and Susan will be out of the academy in seven months, and from what I hear they will be the valedictorian’s”. Now it’s chief Bogo’s turn to have a shocked look on his face. Nick snaps a picture. They both get down from the chair, and leave the chief’s office. Bogo sat there for a few minutes more, before he starts to do paperwork again. As they walk down the hall, “Nick that was cruel”. “Was it cruel? Yes, yes, it was, but it was so worth it”. Both of them snicker as they call the elevator. They turn left as they exit the elevator, and head for the detective division. As the door to the detective division closes behind them, it gets very quiet. They head for the door labeled “Lister”. They knock on the door frame as the door is open.

“Sir”? “Oh, come in Wilde’s the chief told me you were coming in today, I know you have a few days off, and I was wondering if you could run some cases up to the academy tomorrow”? “We can do that sir, Why the special run”? “We have received some new mark-tens and ammunition, and the academy wants to try them out”. Nick and Judy smile at each other. “We would be honored sir, I’m just glad they finally came in”. “You know about these mark-tens”?

“Yes Sir, our son William did a revamp on the mark-ten, and Smith & Willison liked the design. They were paid to build three prototypes for the ZPD. The ammunition is new too, there are trank bullets and taser bullets for the guns, the clips are a little bigger to accommodate the longer ammunition. This will mean that officers will only have to carry one gun, and several different clips of ammunition”.

“Wow, and you said your son designed this”? “Yes Sir, my mom has a mark-ten and she told him what she liked and what she didn’t like about the gun, and he redesigned the gun. The taser and trank bullets are new too. Our son Rick designed the taser bullets for the gun, they are not as powerful as a regular taser, but you can always fire two bullets”. “Again wow, so why are we sending the guns to the academy”?

“Well sir, our other son and daughter are at the academy, and the guns will only fire for them”. “And why is that”? “Sir, they are finger print guns. They will only fire for the registered owner, or owners”. “So, your saying that if a cop loses his gun it will not fire for anyone else”? Yes sir, the computer on board recognizes only the person or persons authorized to use it”. “Can the computer be hacked”? “No sir, unless they understand trinary computer language, they can’t be hacked”.

“So, what’s this trinary language you are talking about”? “Sir, all computers run on binary language, 1’s and 0’s, the new guns work in a new computer language that only one person in the world understands, and can program”. “Let me guess, this person is also one of your kits”. “Yes sir, our daughter Ava is the only one that understands what she has created. She is at MIT right now trying to teach other people the language, but so far no one else can understand it”. “well chief Bogo did tell me you two were unique, I guess that runs to your kits too”. “Yes sir”.

“All right Wilde’s, I expect you back in this office on Monday, your new duties will be explained then, along with your first case, oh, and here’s the keys to your new car, try not to wrap it around a telephone pole like your second to last one”. “Thank you, sir, may we take another individual to the academy with us”? “I don’t see why not; you’re off duty”. Thank you again sir, our grand daughter would appreciate the trip”. “Why would… never mind I don’t want to know. It’s a three-hour trip so you should leave early”. “Yes Sir, we will”.

Bonnie didn’t get much sleep after she was told about the trip, and she had a hard time in not telling her parents. Nick and Judy woke up at the regular time, and had coffee before heading to the precinct for their new car. The mustang was brand new. All the lights were well hidden, you would have to look really close to see it was a cop car. Nick ran his paw down the curves of the car whistling the whole time. He would get to drive it first, Yessss... he thought. They strapped Bonnie into a car seat, and loading the cases in the trunk, hit the highway. Nick wanted to open it up, but Judy said no, and keeping her ticket book open, looked at Nick, daring him to try her. “Spoil sport”. Said Nick many times. Bonnie fell asleep as soon as they were on the highway.

They arrived at the academy just as major Ursula was finished with us. Bonnie was getting bouncer and bouncer as she thought of seeing her parents. They wheeled the cases to the range. Just as we arrive at the range as well.

“Mom, Dad” she screamed as she launched herself at us from Dad’s shoulder. We were very surprised and just cuddled with her as Kevin, mom, and dad smiled. “Well now Nick and Judy haven’t seen you since your academy days, what brings you here”? “Well sir, we brought the new mark-tens for your approval”. “New mark-tens? I was not informed about any new mark-tens”. “Wow that was fast” I said as I went over to the cases. “These were not supposed to be ready for another eight months”. “You know something about them “J”? “Yes Sir, Susan and I had them built from a new design”. With that I put my paw on the scanner and the case opens.

Inside were three mark-tens, I put my paw on two of them and got a green light the third stayed red. “Sir if you could pick up this mark-ten, we will get you authorized to use it”. He shrugs and picks it up, “they seem a little different, and the grip is bigger”. “Yes sir, they are different they were made with cops in mind. And they are fingerprint guns, only the registered user can fire them”. “Wow, that is different”. I call Mavis. “Mavis, I need to authorize a new user for mark-ten zero-zero-three”. **“Right palm prints and trigger finger prints please”** “Sir if you could put your palm on my phone here, there is a beep, now your other palm sir, there’s another beep, now both your index fingers please. After the last beep, Mavis askes for the authorization code. “Dad will you do the honors”? “Mavis executive authorization Nickolas P Wilde omega 1600”. **“Thank you, Nick, the gun is ready for the user,”.** “Thanks Mavis”. **“Any time Daniel”.**

“Wow that’s quiet the procedure, will everyone have to go through that”? “No Sir, we will simplify it when the guns go into production, there is only this much protection because they are prototypes”. We lay out the other four cases and open them up. There are two-thousand rounds per a case of the different ammo. The last case contains fifteen clips of ammo for the guns, six clips have bullets, six clips have trank darts, and three clips have the new taser rounds. The casing for the rounds, are about one-quarter-inch longer.

“Well sir, shall we try them out”? Kevin gets a gleam in his eye “lets”. We each grab two clips and our guns, and head for the stanchions. Mom and dad take Bonnie to the observation gallery. Now the new mark-tens have a bit more power, but they have a bit more weight at the end of the barrel, so the muzzle jump should be the same. We fire down range at the targets, one clip goes into the top target and the second clip goes into the lower target. When the second clip is empty, we drop the clip and step back. Kevin winds the targets back to us. Susan and I have perfect holes in the center again, and the arms master has a hole slightly bigger.

“Wow that’s quite the gun” says Kevin. “The action is really smooth and the eject mechanism is smooth as well. You said your brother designed this”? “Yes Sir, he did”. “I wonder what he could do with the mark-eleven”? “You could ask him sir, but it will have to be after four, he doesn’t get out of school till then”. “Out of school? How old is he”?

Nick pipes up. “William my oldest son, is eight years old”. Kevin looks at dad, and then back to Susan and I, and then back to dad. “Aren’t these two the oldest”? “No Daniel and Susan are two months younger than William”. “You two are only eight”? “Yes, sir we are, but our mental age is older than that”. “How are you here at the academy”? “Sir, there was a memo earlier this year about kits being raised to adult status, that memo was referring to Susan and I and our littermates. We are all eight years old”. Just then our daughter made herself known again.

“Dad, mom can we all go play”? “Sorry Bonnie love, but mommy and daddy are talking with the arms master right now”. Replied Susan to our daughter. “Wait she’s not yours Nick”? “No Kevin she’s our grand daughter”. “Can you tell me how this is possible”? “Sir if you have the Z CIA security clearance high enough, we can, but if not, we can’t, what level do you have”? “I have a level three security clearance, is that high enough”? “Yes, sir it is, we can go somewhere to talk but we need to clean theses guns first”.

We all head into the armory, we locked away the cases of ammo, clean our guns, and talked while we did this. Bonnie was given a cork gun and was happily shooting at targets she had setup. Most of our story had come out before the lunch bell rang. “I’m hungry” said Bonnie. We all laughed and headed to the cafeteria.

We got in line with every one else, and after grabbing some food, go and sit at our table. Kevin wants us to continue, but all our friends join us at the table. I stand up and introduce our parents and teacher to everyone. Leon was the only one to get the fact that our parents were famous, he got that fact because of Leo his uncle. Leon harboured no ill will towards our parents, but he did sit there and listen to all that was said. Kathy and Donna went gaga over our daughter, and were having fun with her. The rest of us just smiled and laughed at our daughter’s antics.

Soon it’s time for them to go, Bonnie doesn’t want to leave but she does. As we get to the parking lot, we see the new car that they have. “What happened to your old cruiser”? “The old cruiser was too conspicuous”. “Did you and mom make detective finally”? Dad says yes, as they both hold there jackets back and show off their new detective badges on their waist belts. “That’s great dad” I say as I huge him. I sweep mom off her feet and hug her as well. “Daniel J Wilde you put me down right this instant”. “Yes mom”. Peeking around the corner is Darwin, he has an evil grin on his muzzle as he watches what transpires in the parking lot. After a few minutes of watching he fades away back to class.


	11. Injury

It starts to rain in the next week, and doesn’t let up. Two weeks later it finally lets up, but threatens to start up again at anytime. Susan and I are walking back from studying late in the cafeteria, when we are tranked as we get to the blind corner. I thought as I collapsed “not again”. We are dragged out the window, and carted off by four mammals. The mammal monitoring the cameras, was away from his desk and returned five minutes later. When he looked at the monitors, one was flashing red. Probably some cadets sneaking off for a liaison he thought. He rolls the footage back and witnesses the abduction. He hits the alarm button, which is tied to the instructor’s rooms. It’s a full ten minutes before search parties are organized with instructors and cadets, and they spread out looking for us. We now have a full fifteen-minute head start. They find the trail of prints and drag marks five minutes later. We now have a twenty-minute head start.

As I start to wake up, I can hear the waterfall. It sounds a bit louder and more aggressive. One mammal kneels on my paws and the other is kneeling on my legs. I slowly swim back to conscious; Darwin is straddling my chest and proceeds to hit me again and again. I activate my recording device on both sound and video. “You damn hybrid, coming in here and making a fool out of me, who’s laughing now fox”? He hits me a few more times. Susan is being held down in the same way as I am, I can see they are planning to do something else with her.

“Darwin stop, you don’t want to do this”. “Yes, I do fox, think you can humiliate me and get away with it”? “Your parents humiliated my father more than once, and I’m just extracting a little revenge for him as well”. Darwin pulls out a k-bar and shows it to me, “you are not the fist mammal I’ve done away with. When I’m done with you fox you will wish you had never been born. As for your wife, you prey chaser, the boys and I will have a really good time with her”. Having said this, he plunges the k-bar into my chest. I had only a seconds warning and knew I could not stop him in that time frame, so I created a channel that the blade would follow, God did it hurt, but the blade went between my heart and my lung hitting nothing vital. Susan screams out my name as I go limp. Darwin checks for a pulse and finding none chuckles to himself, “you die really easy you stupid fox”. He gets off my chest, and looking at his henchmen “throw him in the river, that will wash away any evidence”.

He then turns to Susan, “So my pretty prey, ready for a good time”? “Darwin stop, you don’t want to do this”. “Oh counterair, I do want to do this. Do you think you are the first female I have shown a good time? I have shown thirty-two females a good time, and it was the last thing they felt”. He then proceeds to cut the clothing off of Susan. Darwin doesn’t look up as he hears a splash from the river bank. But he does look up as he hears paw pads running at him. I hit him hard not caring if I break anything. He goes over and the k-bar flies out of his paw and sails off into darkness. I take out the perp on Susan’s left side and she takes out the perp on her right. We both stand over Darwin as savage predators and project death to him. He can see the blood flowing slowly out of my chest. His mind breaks at this point, and he wets and soils himself. I think we broke his mind.

I collapse on the ground; a lot of blood is coming out of my chest. I slow my heart down, as to minimize the blood loss. Susan just hugs me and places my head in her lap, and helps me slow the blood flow with power. The searchers burst through the foliage at this point. Sergeant major takes in the scene and hollers “stop”. Everyone stops and looks at her, waiting for her to continue. Sergeant major grabs her radio, “I need forensics here now north west quadrant, quarter mile west”. “Right be there in ten”. “And send the doctor we have a wounded cadet”. “Roger on our way”.

Susan, don’t move him, how bad is he”? “Not bad ma’am the knife went between his heart and his lung, the blood you see is from a nick on a vein in his left lung, but he will be sore for a few days”. “Ma’am there are two mammals in the river, after Darwin stabbed me, he had them take me down to the river to throw me in, but I turned the tide and threw them in”. She gets on her radio again, “water rescue we have two mammals in the river, set up about two miles south of the academy they should get to you shortly”. “Roger ma’am ETA ten-minutes”.

Forensics shows up a few minutes later and clears the way to Susan and I, Darwin, and his henchmen. Darwin is still curled in a ball, holding his paw, and blubbering. “Ma’am you will need these”, I hand her our recording devices. “These are recording devices my bother has invented, they should help in the investigation”. “right, why do you have these”? Ma’am this is not the first time we have been abducted, and they came in handy the last time, they are also very good pens”. She hands them to the computer sciences teacher, and he takes them, and heads back for the academy.

The doctor shows up a few minutes later and he is let through the cordon to treat me. He puts his stethoscope on my chest, and goes into panic mode. “Get a stretcher over her now, he’s going into shock”. “Sir I’m not going into shock; I have just lowered my pulse rate and blood pressure to minimize blood loss”. The doctor looks at me like I was from mars and had just grown a new head. “Sir I have control over my body, and can regulate it”. He just shakes his head. I’m lifted onto the stretcher, and am gently taken back to the academy. Susan is by myside the whole time; she was given a blanket to cover herself. When we get to the infirmary, they try to lock her out, Susan pulls out the wife card. The doctor was very surprised but when he reads my file, Susan is listed as my medical contact and mate.

The doctor sedates me, and inserting a camera and suction, looks for the damage. He finds the very small bleeder and cauterizes it with a laser. He finds no more damage internally and removed the equipment. He sutures the muscles, and the cut in my chest, back together, and turning out the light, leaves the room. Susan also leaves and heads for her dorm room. As she comes into her room, she is mobbed by Kathy and Donna, as they hold her, she finally breaks down and cries.

I wake the next morning with a pounding head ache, and one eye swollen shut, I have some bruising about my face as well. I reach for the water on the night stand with a trembling paw. I manage to grab it, and with out spilling it, drink most of it down. My headache starts to ease a bit later. The doctor comes in and is surprised to see me awake. “So, mister Wilde you are one lucky individual, a couple of millimetres left or right we would not be having this conversation”. “Yes sir”. I didn’t want to explain to him what I could do. “So, last night you said you could control your body, how far can you control it”?

I just smile at him as the heart rate monitor goes to flat line. I hold it for about ten-seconds and then restart it. “This was how I fooled Darwin into thinking I was dead. When he went and put his paw on my carotid, I stopped my heart and he assumed I was dead, other wise he would have stabbed me again”. “That is a very useful ability to have, you are one-in-a-million, so how do you feel this morning”?

“Not bad sir, I should be able to get back to it in a couple of days”. “Not a chance Wilde, are you related to Nick Wilde by chance”? “Yes sir, he is my father”. “Well that explains a lot, I had a hard time keeping him in his bed as well”. “Sir”? “He got beat up as well, and I couldn’t keep him in here”. “Well sir, I’m not my father and I do know the limit of my abilities, as of now, I’m not moving for at least two days”. “Two days? Try more like a week cadet”. “Sir, two days will be enough, but I promise I will take it easy for the week’s time frame”. “Like father, like son, all right, but you will take it easy, I’ll make sure the sergeant major knows”.

“Speaking of the sergeant major she would like a word with you, about the investigation”. “Yes sir, could I get some breakfast before you send her in”? He just chuckles to himself and opening the door, brings a tray in. “Thank you, sir,”. “Your welcome Daniel, now I want you to eat it all”. “All but the bugs, yes sir”. “you don’t eat bugs”? “Or meat sir, they just smell bad to me”. “Right I’ll see what we can do for lunch and supper”. “Thank you, sir”. He just chuckles as he leaves.

I’m just about done with breakfast, when Susan sneaks in. I just hold her breakfast forgotten; she just cries softly on my shoulder. “When I saw that knife come down, I knew you didn’t have time to deflect it, but Daniel that was a stupid thing to do, he could have killed you”. “Yes, it was, but it was all I could think of at the time, and boy did it hurt”. “Promise me you’re not going to do something that stupid again”. “I can’t promise I won’t do something stupid, but I won’t be doing that again”. Susan lets out with a sigh, “I guess that’s the best I can hope for”. She pulls me in for a kiss, and that was when the sergeant major walked into the room.

She clears her throat and Susan jumps away from me. “At ease cadets, I have looked over both your files, and I know your married. You two are breaking all the records, first married couple to enroll, youngest students to enroll, tops in all your classes, hell, all the records your parents have set up, you two have knocked down. I’m proud to say I’m your drill sergeant”. She stands back and gives us a salute, Susan stands at attention, and we both salute her back.

Now that the pleasantries are out of the way, I need to ask a question of you Susan. Last night you told me exactly what was wrong with Daniel, how did you know”? “Ma’am what level of Z.CIA security clearance do you have”? “I have a level two, why”? “Ma’am we are not allowed to tell anyone below a level three, as you have a level two, we can tell you”. “well, this sounds interesting, please continue”.

“Right, Daniel and I are special, we have abilities far above what would be considered normal. We have one-hundred percent control of our bodies, and can read emotions around us”. “What do you mean one-hundred percent”? Daniel and I just smile at her, as our eyes go slitted, and we project savageness to her. She gets a shocked look on her face, as she backs up a bit. We switch back. “Wow that’s something you don’t see every day. Can you do other things”? Daniel just smiles at the major as the heart monitor goes to flat line. He holds it for about ten seconds, then restarts his heart. “Again wow, that is some kind of total control”. The doctor rushes in, seeing the major, looks at Daniel. “Next time warn a guy when you are going to prove something”. He storms out of the room. “That was…. Wow”.

“Can you back up a bit, what do you mean read emotions”? “Ma’am Daniel and I have a non-verbal form of communication; we can speak in thoughts and emotions with each other. We have done this since we were born. It’s easier for us to do this, than speak in words”. “So, did you use this ability in the situation rooms”? “Yes ma’am, you did tell us to use all our abilities”. “Your right I did”.

Well that does answer my question. So, I need to take both your statements as to what happened”. “Ma’am how is Darwin”? “Worried about your attacker? That’s a new one. His wrist is broken, but we don’t know about his mind he’s still catatonic. We will be shipping him back to the university hospital in Zootopia. As for the four cadets that helped him, they are being charged with accessory to attempted murder-one. The two we fished out of the river were banged up on the rocks, but will make a full recovery. Now I would like your statements”. She pulls out a recording device, as we give our statements.

“Thank you, you two, what you have told me pans out with your video recordings. Those pens are amazing, is it possible to get them”? “Yes ma’am, my brother is having a company mass produce them and they should be on the market for Christmas”. “Great where did that idea come from”?

“Well ma’am, it came from my mother. When she first came to Zootopia she hustled my father into helping her with a carrot pen with a recorder inside. She still has the original one in the curio cabinet. She got it back, when the Bellwether case was done. She is now using the fifth or six incarnate of that pen”. “Your mother never struck me as the sentimental type”. “She’s not, but dad is”.

“Right, say no more, you have about twenty minutes before class Susan, I suggest you hop to it. The pun was intended”. Susan kisses me and heads out the door. “Oh Daniel, don’t expect any time off, I have brought you your next text book and I expect you to read the first five chapters by the end of the day. I’m going to send the teacher in to quiz you at that time”. I groan as any student would, she smiles, goes out the door, and returns with a book that is four inches thick. “Remember first five chapters, and a quiz at the end of the day”. “thank you, ma’am”.

After lunch, about one, and after Susan left, I get another unexpected pair of visitors. Mom and dad burst through the door, and rush to my side. Mom jumps on to the bed and cuddles into my left side, dad just hold me from the right side. I had forgotten they were on my emergency contact list. “Well son you look a little worse for wear. I didn’t get into my first knife fight till I was fourteen”. I slowly brush down mom’s left side as I project calm to both of them. Mom soon stops crying, but dad is not so easily settled.

“It’s only a scratch, guys”. Wrong thing to say. “Only a scratch? Daniel you had a long k-bar jammed into your FREAKING CHEST, how is that only a scratch”? “Dad, you can’t protect me forever, I need to grow up”. “At this rate son, you won’t see ten-years of age, and your driving me to an early grave with all this worry for you”. “Dad I love you too, and I think this was a lesson I had to learn”. “What could you possible take away from this”?

“Dad I have learned that not all crooks will monologue about themselves or what they are doing, some will just do it. I need to be ready at all times and not to listen to what they say, but to pay attention to what they do”. Dad stops and looks at me, “Your right son, that is a good lesson, but do you have to get injured to learn it”? “I think I was getting a bit to cocky and the universe just showed me the error of my ways”. Dad sighs defeated like, and crawling onto my bed, holds my right side. The bed is a little crowded, but I don’t mind. We soon all fall asleep.

“Susan”! “Sir”? “I don’t need you this afternoon, I can handle the class by myself”. “But sir…” “No buts young lady, go, look after your mate. I know your mind will be on him and not the class, so go”. “Yes sir, and thank you sir”. He just chuckles as he shoos her away. Susan sprints to my room, and opening the door, see’s mom and dad with me, and the fact we are all sleeping. She crawls up from the foot of the bed, and plants one on my muzzle, and moving back down and lays her head on my stomach. She twines her paws with ours and promptly falls asleep as well.

The doctor comes in at four-thirty, and does a double take at us all. He then notices my heart rate is up a bit, but strangest of all we were all breathing at the same time. He takes out his stethoscope, and puts it on the carotid artery of everyone else. He keeps his eyes on my heart rate monitor as he does this. He is amazed our hearts are beating as one. He then takes a few notes before waking us all up.

“Ahem, sleeping beauties, time to wake up. You all need to go get some supper in you, and I need to check my patient”. Mom and dad get off the bed with a big yawn. Susan moves up and plants one on my muzzle again, and rolling to the side, gets off the bed. I try to grab her, that hurts a bit, she turns and smiles at me. “We’ll see you after supper Daniel”. “Ok, mom and dad, and I’m sorry”. “Don’t be sorry son, just don’t forget your lesson”. Susan mom and dad turn and walk out of the room.

As they walk down the hall, Susan looks at them and asks what they are doing here. “We are here, on our second official investigation. We got the file this morning, and were reading it as we were driving, when we got to the name of the wounded cadet. About then we were officially informed our son was hurt at the academy, I floored it, with Judy’s permission, and we got here in record time. I’m afraid that most of tonight will be taken up with getting statements”. Nick turns at this point and brings Susan into a hug. Susan breaks down and cries into Nicks embrace. Judy just hugs Susan’s waist. Cadets flow around them as they hug. Soon they break apart, Susan wipes her tears and they all head for the cafeteria.

When they walk in, the noise level goes down. But after the line for food they sit down, and the noise level goes up. Kathy, Leon, Donna, Steve, and Howard sit down at the table. “So, Susan, how is he”? He’s doing fine, he tried to grab me as I left”. All the ladies at the table, laugh. Judy pipes up, “Like father like son”. Nick turns red as everyone laughs a little harder. “So, Mr. and Miss Wilde, what brings you back here, other than your son”? Donna blushes a bit as she realizes how she worded that question. Nick chuckles, “Yes our son brought us here, but we were on our way all ready, we are here to investigate what happened, and get witness statements”.

“So, will you be watching the video”? Which video are you referring to”? “The one where Darwin embarrassed himself the first night they were here”. “We were not aware of this video, what happened”? “Ah, Daniel may have beat Darwin in the ring after a joke got out of hand”. “Well I’ll be”, says Nick, “looks like we have a possible motive”. “I understand they have recordings of the attempt on Daniels life”. “Wow, I have forgotten how good the academy rumor mill is”. Donna blushes again. “Judy and I will be looking at all of it, and we would really like to talk to Darwin”. “I don’t know if that’s possible”, says Howard, “he appears to be in a catatonic state”. Nick looks over at Susan, she just nods her head yes.

Supper done, we all head for the infirmary, to get Daniel and my statement. He’s laying there asleep, so I quietly go over and plant one on his muzzle, his arms come around me and lock behind my back. I’m not really trying to get away. Our dad clears his throat. “I know this is a room, but it’s not the time”.

Susan just breaks the kiss and we both look at dad smiling. We go back to what we were doing. “All right you two, I’m going to have to place you under arrest. Under section eight-seventy-six, paragraph ninety-two you are both under arrest for public display of affection”. Three of us look at dad, “That’s not a law” we say together. “Sure, it is, according to Suzie it’s one of those obscure and still valid laws”. “Trust me it took her a little bit to dig that one up for me, I have a few more I’m just waiting to try”. We all just shake our heads at dad, and Susan and I break apart. Susan sits in the chair by my bed and holds my paw, dad and mom find two more chairs and drag them in. We then give our statements.

Later they leave and we go back to what we were doing. We get a few more kisses in before the doctor come in. “Break it up you two, this is not your bed room at home”. “No Sir, it’s not”, I say, “but it could be”. “Not now cadet, that kind of exercise uses some of the muscles I stitched together, and I will not be having you tear my work apart. Now out young lady, you can see him in the morning”. Susan gives me one more kiss, then trailing her paw down my arm, smiles at me and heads for the door. “Well I see that part of your anatomy works just fine”. I’m a little embarrassed as I have a tent in the sheet at my waist. The doctor just laughs as I try to hide it, I give up and let him finish his examine of me. Later we hug our daughter, she is beside herself with worry for me, and it was quite some time before she would fall asleep. I hug Susan just before I fall asleep.


	12. Friends

The next day mom and dad get a copy of all the videos, after watching them. They grab Susan out of class before they go talk to Darwin. He’s laying in the mock prison cell. It is a mock up, but it was built like any other prison cell. The other four are in the two prison cells next to him, they are waiting for the transport to take them back to Zootopia. This area was for simulating prison break out. Mom and dad get their statements. Darwin promised them positions in his dad’s enterprise, seems they were to be moles in the police force. I look through Susan and both of us look at Darwin while our parents get the statements from all the rest.

Darwin is a real mess; his mind is like a flag that had been left outside in a high wind. He was tattered and frayed and just barely hanging on to life. We felt a little guilty at what we had found, but we could not feel sorry for him, we did forgive him though. Susan and I mend the rips and shreds we found, and tried to bring the rest together. Mom and dad just watched and asked no questions as we worked. This was all new to us, so we went slow. We copied some of the way we were put together. Eventually Darwin Shudders and uncurls from the fetal position.</P.

He looks at everyone with a child like innocence. “Hello, who are you”? He then looks down at himself. “Ah, who am I”? “Am I supposed to be here”? “What do you remember about yourself Darwin”? Asks dad. “Darwin, that’s my name”? “Yes, it is my name, it just feels right. I was a very bad person”, he starts to cry at this point. “Oh, why don’t you let me die, I’ve hurt so many people”. “You will feel better Darwin, if you tell us about what you have done”, says dad. “Can I be forgiven for what I have done”? “If you confess what you have done you can be forgiven”. Reply’s mom.

So, for the next two hours Darwin recounts all that he can remember about himself and what he has done. He gives names, and times and dates about all the crimes he can remember. He then goes on to tell about some of the crimes his father has done. This was a gold mine for Nick and Judy, two of the newest detectives, and they could break the case of one of the crime bosses in Zootopia. But after a bit he starts to fade away. Susan hits the alarm for the cell block and asks for the doctor. As the doctor rushes in Darwin expires. The doctor tries to revive him, but it’s no use he’s gone. Nick and Judy have a death bed confession.

_“So, Darwin” says Ockny “what am I to do with you”? “Sir”, Darwin says as he looks up, “all I ask for is to be treated fairly”. “Darwin you weren’t a nice person in life and you did hurt so many people”. “Yes Sir, I did and I hope I can receive their forgiveness”. “Well Darwin your last two victims have already forgiven you. But you have to pay for your crimes. Darwin hangs his head, “I deserve whatever you give me”. “Right I’m going to throw you to the far reaches of the universe and you will have to make your way back, do a lot of introspective on yourself so when you get back you can tell me all about yourself”. “Thank you, sir, for giving me the chance, and not destroying me as I deserve”. “You deserve much more than destruction, but because two people have given you forgiveness, I have to at least give you the chance”. With that Darwin blinks out._

Mom and dad take Darwin’s taped confession and all the other evidence back with them. Wishing me a speedy recovery, and hugging both of us, they head out the door. The transport for the other cadets has arrived, and they decide to go in convoy back to Zootopia. They chatter on the radio all the way back. Darwin’s body will be transported tomorrow. I hope his father will not seek revenge on me.

The week goes by and I’m back in class, the routine I did a little slower and worked those muscles a little easier, but soon I was back to full form. After that night I could feel a new respect for Susan and I coming from all the cadets. I guess someone had leaked the videos, and everyone had seen them. We had the whole class in the morning. Susan and I had moved on to other things, we were now range officers, and helped some cadets become proficient at shooting, some would never make marksmen but everyone passed the range requirement. Donna and Kathy and Leon tried to use mark-elevens but complained about the jump, they all got proficient on the mark-ten. Susan and I had also passed the live fire range, the new mark-tens worked well, and Kevin had put in a recommendation to the procurement department, recommending the ZPD purchase them for the department. Susan and I found that the best arrangement for the trank and taser rounds, were to have them alternated in the clip. You hit the perp with a taser, then hit them with a trank, or move on to the next perp.

Just before Christmas break Susan and I were asked to make a team up, we chose our bunk mates. Steve and Howard were our computer experts, Kathy was our tactician, Donna and Leon were our muscle, and Susan and I were the leaders. We then were unleashed in the warehouse simulation. We took down most of our instructors in the first round, but we all ended up dead. We went back and brain stormed, and trying some new things got as far as the big boss (Sergeant major) who gleefully took us all out. The next day we tried a combination of stealth and brute force, but Susan and I were the only ones left standing, the Sergeant major was some pissed that our team was taken out, but we could see that she was really pissed at the fact that two cadets had taken her out.

Christmas break started this year on Friday Dec-20, as we were packing, I could see Leon was down and asked him what was wrong. “Daniel I’ll be staying here for Christmas”. “Why’s that Leon”? He lets out with a big sigh. “Daniel my pride and me never did see eye to eye, and I feel they didn’t really want me. I was made to believe they tolerated me because of my mother”. I talked it over with Susan and we agreed. “Leon, Susan and I would like you to come home with us for Christmas”.

“Daniel while I appreciate the offer, I don’t want to be a burden on anyone”. “Leon you are not a burden, you are our friend”. “No one has really called me friend for a long time”. “Leon you have many friends here at the academy, and if they had known, I sure you would have had many offers to come share Christmas with them”. “So are you coming LL”. “If your sure”? “Yes, I’m sure, you need to get packed, train leaves in an hour”. “Right I’m on it”.

We board the train and find our compartment. Susan and I sit on one side and, and Leon sits on the other. We reach into our pockets and pull out our rings, we put them on, and start to kiss passionately. “Ah, guys this may seem like a stupid question, but are you married”? Both of us laugh. “Yes, Leon, we are married, did you think that kit running around a few months back was my sister”? “Well I did actually”. “No Leon that was our daughter, kind of cute wasn’t she”? “So how long have you been married, and where did you get your rings? they look familiar”. “We were married June second last year, and our Daughter was born in August”. “Shotgun wedding”? “No, she was conceived on our wedding night”. “Wow, how is that possible”? “Not sure Leon, but would we trade her for the world? Not on your life”. We walk over and show him our rings. “If I didn’t know better, I would say that my grandfather made these rings, but he died just over two years ago”. “Maybe he had an apprentice”? “Yes, that must be it”. We talk about nothing in particular as we finish the train ride.

We walk home as the train station is not to far from our home. As we enter the building it’s late, and JR is just finishing his shift. “So how are the valedictorians of the academy”? “JR we are not the valedictorians of this year’s class, we won’t know that tell just before we are done”. “Well I’ve been listening to your father, and the way he tells it you should be. So, who’s the new guy”? “JR I would like to introduce Leon Lionhart, Leon I would like to introduce you to Jerry Rathbone”. They shake paws, when it dawns on Leon who he is shaking paws with. “It’s a pleasure to meet you sir”. “Pleasures all mine Leon, any friend of the Wilde’s is a friend of mine”.

We wish him good night and head over to the kiosk. “Evening Mavis”. **“Ah, Daniel your back, is Susan with you”?** “Is there a problem with your camera”? askes Susan. **Yes, there is, some one knocked it off, and wired it wrong when they put it back up, Rick said he would look at it tomorrow”.** “Well Mavis, we have a friend staying for Christmas with us”. " **Friend step forward and place your paws on the scanner and state your full name”.** “Wow, that’s quite the security system, my name is Leon Lionhart”. **“Thank you, Leon, you may all proceed".** We all head up the elevator.

The whole family is waiting for us. We are mobbed by our siblings and our daughter; everyone appears to be home as well. Leon is greeted by mom and dad, and grandma and grandpa. Eventually we are let up, and our daughter just clings to Susan’s neck. We show Leon the bed room he can use. We leave him and go to the kitchen. Leon comes out after unpacking, and helping himself to a coffee, come and sits at the table with the rest of us. Our daughter decides to then jump to me and cling to my neck.

“So, Daniel and Susan would you like to introduce me to your younger siblings”? “Sure Leon, over there is my younger brother Justin, he raises his paw, and next to him is Elisabeth”. “Hi Leon”, says Izzy. I introduce no one else. We all just smile at him. “Ahem, what about the rest of them”? Some snicker at this point. “Bonnie you’ve met, our daughter just waves at him from my neck, the burnt umber wolf is my uncle Scott, the fox over there is my older brother William, and the rest of them are Susan’s and I’s littermates”. “Littermates”? “Yes, Leon we are littermates, we were all born May twenty-fifth eight-years ago”. Hs eyes get big and wide, and all of the adults start to laugh. “But that would mean” … “Yes Leon, Susan and I are only eight years old”. I pull out my drivers’ licence and show him. “So, to finish the introductions, on your left is Rick, Ava, Terry, Cindy, Davis and Suzie”. They all hold up their paws as their names are mentioned. Leon just sits there for a few moments with a stunned look on his face. Scott looks up at his mom, “I think we broke another one”. We all burst out laughing as Leon turns red, for a white tigon that’s impressive.

_We eventually get everything straight in Leon’s head, but he still has a hard time believing we are only eight. A roll fight breaks out at supper time, and everyone gets pelted, Leon does his fare share of roll throwing. Our daughter is the sniper, she pops up and throwing a roll back flips of the table so as to not get hit, she does get hit, and dramatically clutches her chest and falls off the table. She finishes the flip and lands on her paws on the floor. After supper we go to the living room and just relax. William ropes Leon into smash bunnies, and William kills him many, many times. We wish Leon a good night and tell him we have to be up by nine. He absently says yes as he tries to beat William._

Our daughter barges into our room just as I started something, I guess I forgot to lock the door. She wants to sleep with us, but we tell her no. She grumbles about us wanting to have sex. “Bonnie how do you know about sex”. She turns redder at this point. “I might have looked over Uncle Davis’s medical books”. “And you understood them”? “Yes dad, I did, I have read all of Cindy’s law books as well”. “Well daughter you have read these books but do you understand the emotional component of sex”? “Emotional component, dad”?

“Yes Bonnie, sex is an expression of love between a couple. I love your mother and she loves me, and when we move together, we express our love in this fashion”. And because of this expression you came into being, and you are our little ray of sunshine”. “So, are you trying to create me a little brother”? Susan and I turn red at this point. “No Bonnie we are not trying to create a little brother”. “So, why do it”? “Because it feels good Bonnie, and it’s what couples do”. “Can I do that”? “Not at the moment Bonnie, but when you are older, and you have found the love of your life, you will also engage in this practice”.

“Does it hurt”? “No, it feels good, that’s why we do it. So where do you normally sleep”? “I have my own bed room, but I really like to share my bed”. “Well Bonnie dear, I think you should go to your own room, we will see you in the morning”. She sighs, “you don’t love me”. “Do you think your mother and I can be manipulated that easily daughter? you know your mother and I love you, you can fell it”. “I know, but I really want to sleep with both of you”. “Well, we promise we will let you some other night, is that ok”?

“I guess that’s the best I can hope for”. With that she hugs us, and jumping off the bed heads out shutting the door behind her. I get up and lock it. “Wow was that unexpected, and a little early”. “Yes, it was, but what do you expect, she is more advanced at her age than we were at that age”. “I think we are going to have to shield our room from her”. “Daniel we can’t lock her out, she would see it as a rejection of her “. I deflate, “could we do something else”? “Not sure what else we can do; I think we need to talk to Gab”. Yes, that’s a good idea, we will ask him”. “But in the mean time you started something”, and looking over her shoulder, “are you going to continue”? “Your wish is my command, beautiful”.


	13. lost and found

Susan and I wake up the next morning, and because it’s early, get up to other thing before we get up. We have a leisure shower together. We then exit our room only to be glommed onto by our daughter who had been waiting for us. We cuddle with her for a bit, and go to the kitchen. I make breakfast for everyone. The smell of coffee wafts through the house, along with the smell of pancakes. Soon everyone joins us in the kitchen. I try something new, potato pancakes. It’s a big hit with everyone, along with the fruit spreads. I can tell Leon is impressed; the turkey bacon probable helped too.

“So, Leon, you coming to the precinct with us”? “Why would you be going to the precinct on a Saturday”? “Well, Susan and I do train officers, and they are expecting us”. “Sure, I guess I can look around”. We all head for the precinct. We come in and greet Matti, who is on the desk this weekend. We talk for a few, and head for the locker rooms. Susan and I change and head into the gym. Leon follows behind me. We all start our routine, and Leon joins us. Fangmyer comes in late, and looking around spots Leon. She gets a hard look on her face, and heads back into the looker room. She comes back out a little later with a smile on her face and makes sure Leon sees her.

“Lily”? Fangmyer keeps a grin on her face and turns towards Leon. “Hi, Leon, guess you weren’t expecting me”. “Your right, I though you worked out of precinct three”. “No, I transferred to precinct-one three-years ago. You know you’re a dead mammal, right”? “She knows I’m here”? “Yes, Leon, I told her, she should be coming through that door any time now”. Leon sits down hard, and just puts his head in his paws. “Leon what’s up”? “Remember the story I told you Daniel about the love of my life”? “Yes, why is that a problem”? “Well we parted on less than good terms, and she’s going to kill me when she gets here”. Leon just curls into a ball and softly moans.

The locker room door bangs open, and an irate tigress walks into the gym. “LEON YOU BASTERED, WHERE ARE YOU”? Leon shudders and uncurling from the ball he was in, stands up. Naomi spots him and stomps over. “LEON, I WANT SATISFACTION. YOU, ME, RING, NOW”! She punctuates every word with a forefinger to his chest. Naomi goes over to the equipment and starts to put protection on. Leon sighs and does the same thing. “Leon that doesn’t look so bad, she is putting protection on”. I say this as I help him put his gloves on. “Daniel, Naomi was the school’s welter- weight champion for two years running, I don’t stand a chance”. “Well maybe you can clear things up with her”. “Daniel, I don’t think I’m coming back from this, what’s the old saying”? “Hell, hath no fury like a female scorned”. “LEON, GET YOUR BUTT UP HERE, AND FACE ME! “Well, wish me a quick death”. He says this as he goes through the ropes.

Lily Fangmyer has a grin on her face as she rings the bell. Naomi jumps at Leon, and hits him with everything. Leon just stands there and takes it all, he doesn’t try to defend himself. He stands there with his arms down, not trying to defend himself. After two minutes of her doing this, the bell is rung. Leon collapse in his corner. Susan and I help him to sit up, we give him some power, to endure this. “Leon defend yourself, or at least flow out of the way”. “Daniel, I deserve everything she is giving me, and more”. He stands up and moves to the centre as the bell is rung. The second round is the same as the first, but Leon barely makes it back to his corner. “End this Leon, you can’t take much more, just apologize to her”. “Daniel, I don’t think an apology will work with her, and I don’t blame her, I blame myself”. With that the bell is rung again. Leon stagers to his feet. Naomi comes over and looks at him. “DAMN YOU, FIGHT ME LEON, WHY WON’T YOU FIGHT ME”? “Naomi I won’t fight you; I love you too much to ever hurt you again”. With that Naomi throws and uppercut, and we can all hear his jaw break as he bites through the mouth guard. Leon is out on the mat.

Izzy, Susan and I, all rush into the ring, as Naomi gets out and taking off her equipment starts to cry in Lily’s arms, as she hugs her. Lily just strokes her head as she cries. Izzy starts to heal Leon’s jaw, as I get the equipment off of him. I pull out the pieces of the mouth guard that he had bit in two. Susan and I feed power to Izzy so she won’t drain herself. After a few minutes it’s done and Leon starts to come around. Susan gets out of the ring, and goes to talk to Naomi.

Naomi looks at Susan as she walks over. “How is he”? “He’ll live”. “I know part of the story Naomi, and I can honestly say, you are Leon’s one regret in life, don’t let him be yours”. That said, Susan comes back over to us. Dad and grandpa help me get Leon out of the ring and propped up in a chair beside the mats. Izzy healed the concussion damage Leon received, but he is still not all there. Naomi wipes the tears from her eyes and comes over. Leon sees her coming, and putting a paw out, and just repeats “No more please”. Everyone else gets concerned, but all us kits can see what’s coming. She grabs Leon out of the chair and lays him on the mats. She then cuddles into his side, “Why Leon? Just tell me why”. She hugs him as her tears start to flow again. Leon just hugs her back.

“Naomi, I do owe you an apology and explanation, and I’m sorry”. She growls to him, but it is half hearted. “I know your sorry, just get on with the explanation, we will talk about an apology later”.

Leon sighs, “this all started the night my leg was broken in the last game of the season, I had just thrown the ball when I was sacked. I can’t prove it was deliberate, but I believe it was, he had such a look of malice on his muzzle as he broke my leg. Our team lost because I was down. They rushed me to emerg, and I was told I was lucky. I thought to myself, how is having a broken leg lucky? I was told it was a clean break, and I had no knee damage. They let me go a few hours later, after casting my leg, and giving me a pair of crutches. No one was waiting for me except my grandfather. I had not seen much of him, the Lionhart’s didn’t like him, and kept him away. None of the Lionhart pride showed up. My grandfather Ian Brock helped me into a cab, and took me to his place.

It shocked me to find out where he lived. It was my old house that I grew up in. I guess dad when he died willed it to his father. We went in, and it had not changed much, all the old memories came flooding back, and I sat on the couch and cried. Granddad consoled me the best he could, and I did stop a little later. He helped me up the stairs to my old room. It was like opening a time capsule, nothing had changed. My posters were on the wall, my toys on the shelf, and the books I cherished were on the shelf as well. My bed was a bit small for my frame but I would make do. I fell on it, and started to cry. I wrapped a blanket around myself, and fell asleep crying.

In the morning I though I heard my mother, but I knew she was gone, and I started to cry again. I thought to myself, why did dad commit suicide, did I drive him to it? Or was it mom’s death in the accident, that drove him to it? I got up and drying my tears, headed downstairs.

Granddad was making breakfast, we talked about a lot of things, but the ones I wanted to talk about. I really didn’t ask; Did I really want to find out? After breakfast he called a cab to take me to school. It was the worst day of my life. I found out later in the day, that a rumor was going around that I threw the game deliberately. No one would talk to me, all the mammals I thought of as my friends, abandoned me. I more I denied it, the more they believed I did do it. It was all I could do not to tear some one’s throat out.

When I boarded the bus to go home to the Lionhart’s compound, I was shunned by everyone on the bus. As I got off the bus, I could see some boxes on the step, and aunt Kathleen was sitting beside them, she had been crying. When she saw me, she came over and hugged me. She informed me that the pride didn’t want a cheater in their compound. I was devastated, I really wanted to rip someone’s throat out. She hugged me again, and said she believed I didn’t do it, but she was only one voice in the pride, and she was over ruled. What a small-minded bunch of mammals. Aunt Kathleen helped me put my few boxes into a cab, and crying as she hugged me, waved as the cab drove me away. From that day forward, I went to live with my grand father.

Grand dad was a very understanding kind of guy. He let me cry on his shoulder, I could feel he wanted to tell me something, but he never did. Before bed he said he had something he wanted to give me. He took me out to the garage, and going to the corner he pulled the tarp off a bike. But oh, what a bike, it was old, and I fell in love with it instantly. It was a Hogley nine-seventy-three. It was a fifty-year-old bike, but the lines, the curves, it just screamed power. I looked back at granddad, as he handed me the title”. “You’ll have to rebuild it, it hasn’t run in thirty years, but I ‘ll help you”. “What could I say, I just hugged him as I cried.

The next day at school the hostility was down, but no one would sit next to me at lunch, I felt so alone tell you Naomi came and sat down beside me. I had been the jock, but now I was nothing. You started a polite conversation with me. You showed me I wasn’t worthless, but I had a hard time believing it. My school work wasn’t great, but you offered to help me. As the weeks went by my grades improved, I wasn’t valedictorian, but I wasn’t the bottom of the class anymore. It was all because of you. I think it was somewhere in there that I first realized I had feelings for you. But my insecurities prevented me from saying what I felt for you.

Every night granddad and I worked on the bike. With the help of a manual we tore it down to components, the bike shop was very accommodating, they managed to find the parts we needed. The only thing we couldn’t rebuild was the carburetor, it had too many holes in it, that was the only part that wasn’t original. We replaced all the wiring, and the day I started it grandpa leapt for joy, this was his undoing. He collapsed on the floor I called for an ambulance, but by the time they got there he was gone. I felt the weight of the world on my shoulders, I believed I had killed my father, and now my grand father.

The only ones at the funeral were myself you Naomi and my aunt Kathleen. It was a dismal day, it wasn’t raining, but I felt it should be. A few days later a lawyer showed up and told me I was the beneficiary of his will. I knew granddad had sold his business several years back, and I didn’t realize how much he got for it, the bank account was huge. He also told me he would have to keep control of it till I turned eighteen, he would give me a stipend to pay the bills and get myself groceries. This would only last for the next two weeks, then I could sign for everything.

Finals were coming up, and we studied hard. But my mind was going to a very dark place, I snapped at you every chance I could, I was scared of my feelings for you, and I was scared of myself. I didn’t want to hurt you, but I did, didn’t I”? “Yes, Leon you did, but continue I want to understand”. “On the last day of finals, I said some really nasty stuff to you, I was trying to drive you away, I hoped you would find someone else, better than me. I’m Sorry”. “You’ve said that already, continue with your story”. “Right, Well I stopped by the lawyer’s office and I signed the house, and half the bank account over to you. I hoped in my own way this would make it up to you. I then rode away; I went to the cabin in the woods. Granddad owned that too. I had spent many summers there with my mom and dad. I spent some time fixing up the place, but my mind could not find peace, so I, in my deep despair, decided to end it all.

I found a tourist trap listed on the internet. The bottomless cavern, that would do. I left the bike in the lean-to, and hiked to the cavern, it was only about ten miles away. I’m sure I wasn’t the first to try this, and what happened next proved this. They saw me come in, and immediately knew I wasn’t there for the tour. They had made plans for this, there was a net strung across the hole, about one-hundred feet down below the lights. I waited tell no one else was around before I jumped. They waited tell I jumped before putting their plans in place. I was surprised when I hit the net, and I was tranked by a guard who was waiting for some one like me. They hauled me out through another entrance and took me to a psych ward.

I spent two months in the ward, and the docs were not very helpful. I got more help from the night orderly. Gab a snow leopard, came every night to my room”. All our heads snap around and look at him. “He gave me many insights into my life, and helped me work through my pain. When they released me, I went to thank him, but no one there could tell me where to find him. In fact, they said they had no snow leopard working for them. I got out of there fast, not wishing for them to think I was seeing a person that wasn’t really there.

When I got back to the cabin, I could tell some one had been there. But as nothing was stolen or broken, I just let it slide. I stayed for a few more weeks, tell it got cold, then I drove south looking for my purpose in life. It’s amazing how many times I was stopped by the cops. I guess a tigon on a bike just screamed out “bad boy”. After awhile I got tired of this, and holed up in some small towns. I spent a year traveling around, seeing the sights. Through this I was stopped on a regular bases, my resolve firmed up and I decided to become a cop. I put in my application on line, and skyped my interview. They notified me that I was accepted. And I had to drive like a mad mammal to get there on time”.

Nick looks at Leon, “That was your bike at the academy”? “yes, Nick it was”. “Sweet, do you know what that bike’s worth”? “Well I never really had it appraised, I just know it got a lot of looks”. “Leon you could buy a whole fleet of bikes if you sell that one”. “A Hogley nine-seventy-three is one of the rarest bikes around, especially the sixteen-hundred CC motor one. There was like only twenty of them made that year due to the strike at the plant”. “Well it was my grand fathers and I won’t sell it”.

“All right gents, Leon and I have some unfinished business”. With that she moves quickly and straddles Leon’s chest. “All right, you dumb Tigon, I’m giving you two options, option “A” we get suited up and go back into the ring, and I finish what I started. Or option” B” You marry me, and make it up to me for the rest of our lives, so which will it be”? “But…” “The word I want to hear doesn’t start with a “B”. “Y…Yes” “Good boy, you’re not as dumb as you look”. She leans down and kisses him; the clapping and wolf whistles go on for a few minutes.

“All right everyone we still have practice and sparring to do” I say. Leon and Naomi get off the mats and sitting on a bench on the side, hold paws and talk, the occasional kiss comes into play at this point. Lily Fangmyer doesn’t know what to think about what just happened, and it shows in her fighting, I try to push the distraction out of her mind. She does get her mind into fighting, so I don’t beat on her to much.


	14. What's Lost is Found

As we finish sparing Leon and Naomi come over to us. “Daniel, Naomi and I need your help. We would like rings like yours, where did you get them”? “Well do you one better, we’ll take you there”. “We don’t want to be a bother”. “You’re not being a bother Leon, Susan and I like to walk, and our daughter likes to be thrown”. He looks at us with a quizzical look. “You’ll see”. Because it’s a nice day, the rest of the family heads for the park and Leon, Naomi, Bonnie, Susan and I all head for the jewellers.

Again, we are swinging our daughter between us, but this time we throw her straight up. We hear the gasps behind us as she flies high in the air. She does a couple of back flips and lands on my shoulder. She is shrieking the whole time, it’s a little hard on our hearing, but she is having fun, so we let it slide. We then throw her down the street, she then does some forward flips, and bouncing off the bus bench, come back to us laughing. Leon and Naomi are walking close together, and just smile at our daughter’s antics. We continue walking tell we round the corner and Leon can see where we are headed, he stops dead in his tracks.

“Please tell me you didn’t get your rings at Brock-in-Stock”. “We did Leon, is that a problem”? “Daniel Brock-in Stock was my grand father’s jewellery store, I…I don’t know if I can go in there”. “You can Leon, it’s just a store, with some memories attached”. “Maybe we can get them some were else”? “Come on Leon what are you afraid of, you’ve already had the worst thing, and the best think happen to you today”. “Alright Daniel we will be in a few”. With that he pulls Naomi into a hug, and whispers into her ear so softly we can’t hear what is said.

We enter the store with our daughter, there appears to be some other customers in the store, with a lioness waiting on them. Our daughter, looking around the store, spots a display of crystals, and makes a bee line for them. She has her noise pressed to the glass and is staring intently at a large purple crystal. She seems fascinated by it. The lioness done with the other customers, come over to us. “So, what can I show you nice folks today”? “Our daughter seems to be fascinated with your crystals”. She looks at us, and then looks down to find our daughter with her nose pressed against the glass.

She laughs, and opening the cabinet, pulls out the crystals, and lays them on the counter. Our daughter jumps onto the counter to see them better. We are about to scold her. when the lioness speaks, “It’s ok, I’m the one who cleans the glass, and I don’t mind”. She lays her paws on several of them before one starts to glow for her. It’s the biggest one out of the case, and the most flawless one. “That one, I want that one”. The lioness doesn’t notice the slight glow. “Bonnie dear, you can’t demand some thing like that, you have to ask nicely”. “But mom, that crystal calls to me, and I really need it”. “Why do you need it”? “I don’t know, but I fell it will be necessary in the future. I’ll be willing to forgo all the Christmas gifts you want to get me, just to have that crystal, Please”? We give into her, and buy the crystal, it’s kind of expensive, but we can see how much she really needs and wants it.

We are standing at the cash register paying for our purchase, when Leon and Naomi walk in. They walk up behind us, and as we step out of the way, Leon gets a shocked look on his face. “Aunt Kathleen”? She rushes around the counter and pulls Leon into a hug. They just stand there, and Naomi joins them in the hug. It’s a few before they remember they are not alone. They break apart, “Leon where have you been? I’ve been so worried about you”. “Sorry auntie, but I had to do some soul searching, and it took some time”. “Well I’m glad your back, and with Naomi no less, so what can I help you with today”?

“Ah, auntie, Naomi and I are looking for some wedding bands”. “Her paws fly to her muzzle as tears flow out of her eyes, “Goodness, I never thought I would see that day, and you will have to talk to the jeweler for your rings”. “Can’t we just buy some generic rings”? “No, I think he will want to make them personally”. She goes to the alcove behind the curtain, and pushes an intercom button. “Dear can you come down please, you have some customers down here”. There is an indistinguishable muffled noise that came from the speaker. “We’re really going to have to get that fixed”. Susan and I can feel the lioness getting excited. We just hug both Naomi and Leon.

We hear some paw pads coming down a set of stairs. Charles the owner comes out of the alcove, and seeing who is standing at the counter, rushes around the counter and brings Leon in to a fierce hug. “Ah, Sir, do I know you”? Charles lets out with a sigh, “No I guess you don’t Leon, you haven’t known me for a very long time”. He goes back behind the counter into the alcove. Leon just stands there with a perplexed look on his face. Charles come out with a well-worn photo album, and motions Leon to open it. On the first page is a restraining order against Charles M. Brock from the Lionhart pride. On the next page is a family sitting together, a Bengali tiger, a lioness, and a cute tigon cub.

Leon’s Head snaps up, and he gets a shocked look on his face. “D... Dad”? But your dead, I killed you”. “Far from dead Leon, and no you did not kill me. Hi son long time no see”. Leon rushes around the counter this time and brings Charles into a fierce hug. “Ah, son, I’m going to need those ribs to breath”. “Right, sorry dad”. “Come on everyone, I believe it’s time for lunch and we need to talk. Daniel, Susan, it’s good to see you too”. Kathleen puts the “gone for lunch” sign in the window as she locks the door. We all follow Charles up the stairs to the loft apartment above the shop.

Charles and Kathleen putter around the kitchen making tea and sandwiches for everyone. Our daughter finds a ball on the floor and is happily bouncing it in the corner. Soon the tea is ready and we all sit down in the living room. Charles looks at Leon, sighs, and starts to explain.

“Son, I would like to explain from that fateful day eleven-years ago. We were traveling back from the cabin, when an hour outside of Zootopia I fell asleep at the wheel. I have no excuse, I knew I was getting tired, and I should have pulled over for a short power nap, or woke your mother up and let her drive. But I did neither of those two things, I tried to power through, and fell asleep at the wheel. We weren’t going very fast when we hit the tree, but it was fast enough. When I woke up, you were still out in the back seat, and your mother was thrown out through the windshield. She was laying on the hood, and I could see she had gone head first in to the tree. I could see she was dead; her neck was broken her head was at an unnatural angle. Her eyes were just staring at me, accusing me. There isn’t a day that doesn’t go by, that I don’t think of your mother son, and I’m sorry for taking her away from you”.

"When the EMS got there, they had to cut me out of the car the door was jammed, but I wasn’t seriously hurt, neither were you. But they were concerned about the accident, there wasn’t enough damage for a fatality to occur. They then went over the car with a fine-tooth comb. They found that her seat belt was not secured to the floor, it had been only tack welded, there was no bolt holding it to the floor. This was classified as an oversight on the manufactures part, and a friend of mine sued the manufacture.

It never got to court, they gave me a large settlement, and did a recall of the car. I didn’t want the money; I would have gladly traded all that money for your mother back. I started to drink at this point, your grandfather tried to talk to me, but I shut him out. One night I dropped you off at the pride compound, I was planning on getting drunk, just like I had done for most of the time after the accident. I don’t know how I did it, but I found myself sitting on the side of the lion’s gate bridge. I had a half empty bottle of booze in my paw, and I was staring out over the water. A police cruiser pulled up on the bridge, he had the lights going. A lion his name was Delgado if I remember correctly, he came as close as he dared, worried I was a jumper. I continued to drink from the bottle as he talked to me. After a while I agreed to get off the side of the bridge and come in. But this is when I passed out, the officer jumped forward and grabbed my jacket as I slide over the side. Kind of ironic, saved by a lion, on the lion’s gate bridge. Well he had to report he saved a jumper, and I was charged with public intoxication as well.

I spent four months in a psych ward. After two weeks there I received the restraining order. I did want to see you again son, and I did everything I could to get myself better. When I got out, I went to the pride, asking to see my son. They threw me out without hearing me. I fought the order in court, but Leo was to well connected. Even after his disgrace, he was still to well connected. So, I watched from a distance.

You probably saw the hooded person in the bleachers”. “That was you, the hooded weirdo in the north west corner of the bleachers”? Charles chuckles, “Yes I can see how people would see me, but that was the closest I could get to you. You were a great player, and was a shame your leg was broken just for some one to win a bet”. “Can you prove that dad? I became an outcast because of that”. “No son I can’t, I just heard it as I was leaving the game. I watched the world turn against you, and I almost broke the restraining order, but there was only five months left tell your eighteenth birthday and the order was no longer enforceable.

Then my father died three weeks before your eighteenth birthday. Again, I almost broke the order, but there was only three weeks left. At this point you probably thought you killed your grandfather”. “I did dad”. Well let me tell you, you didn’t, my father your grandfather, had congestive heart failure, he had been living on borrowed time. The last five months of his life he said were the best, he had got to know his grandson”. “Thanks dad, that’s a great relief to me”.

I was in the cemetery with you that day. I saw you fall to your knees and Naomi and Kathleen console you. After you all left, I then went over and fell to my own knees. After that I went to my lawyer friend, and he wrote the will we used. My dad had left everything to me, but Kathleen told me you thought I was dead. From the accident tell now we kept in touch. She slipped me as many pictures of you as she could. So, I gave you the house and the cabin. His bank account I gave to you as well. I was headed to the house on your eighteenth birthday, but I saw you ride away on his bike. I couldn’t catch you.

That was the last we heard of you, Tell Kathleen and I went up to the cabin. We found the Hogley in the lean-to and knew you were around, but in the two weeks we were there, you never showed up. We both worried that you had done something stupid. After two weeks we drove away, hoping you had done nothing foolish. I went back before the snow flew, I found the Hogley gone, but I knew you had been there and I left with a lightened heart. So why are you back Leon? And are you here to stay”? “Well Dad, I’m back but not to stay”.

Naomi and Charles both snap their heads around to look at him. Leon chuckles “It’s not what you think, I’m here in Zootopia on break from school, I have to go back in the new year”. “So, what are you studying son”? “Would you believe police sciences? Daniel, Susan, and I are at the ZPD police academy”. Charles Looks at us. “How can you two be at the police academy? your only eight”. “Well sir, we are there because we were elevated to adult status by the courts of Zootopia”.

At this point our daughter tugs on Kathleen’s pant leg, “May I have a cookie please”? “Why sure you may”. She passes a cookie to Bonnie. She looks up at Susan and I, “your little sister is cute you two”. “Well thanks, but she’s not our little sister, she’s our daughter”. Now everyone looks at us in shock except for Leon, he sits there with a grin on his face. A small cry comes from the other room. “Excuse me everyone duty calls”. “Ah son, you might want to prepare yourself for a little shock”. Kathleen comes back into the room with a squirming cub in her paws. “Leon son, I would like to introduce you to your little brother Ian”. Leon looks from his dad to Kathleen and back to his dad. “Yes son, Kathleen and I are married, and he is our son, just like you are our son”. “Leon, I know I can never take the place of your mother…” Leon jumps up and pulls her into a hug. “I can’t think of anyone else I would rather call mom”. He just holds her for a few, while the cub squirms between them.

Well hello their brother, you’re a cute tigon”. His stripes are not as pronounced as Leon’s and he is more gold than white in his fur. Leon points his finger at him and he grabs it, pulling it into his muzzle. “So, when did you marry”? “Well Leon”, said Kathleen, “we married two weeks after you left, we had been living together since you were thrown out of the compound, I couldn’t stand living with that bunch of narrow minded, bigoted, mammals. Your father and I went to the cabin for our honeymoon”.

“So, Leon, Naomi, why are you here”? “Dad we would like some cat’s eye rings for our wedding bands”. Charles tears up, “I’m sorry, my emotions are getting the better of me, are you sure”? “Dad, I have loved Naomi for almost two years now, and I was just to damn blind to see it. She was the one to propose to me, after she beat the scat out of me”. Charles laughs, “Yes, your mother was the same, she proposed to me, down on one knee no less”. Kathleen just blushes red.

Leon and Naomi pick their gems and bands and Charles says he will have them ready by Friday. They do a group hug again, and we all leave the store. Both come home with us. Bonnie coming in the door does some back flips and lands on the security desk. JR just hugs her. She jumps down and joins us at the kiosk. “Mavis you there”? **“Yes, Daniel I am, who’s the lady with you”?** “That would be Leon’s mate Naomi". **"Right Naomi, please step forward and place your paws on the scanner, look into the camera, and state your full name".** “Hi I’m Naomi Fangmyer”. **"Thank you, Naomi, you all may proceed".**

As we ride the elevator up, Leon asks about the hot tub. “Yes Leon, you can use the hot tub, but just to warn you, none of us wear bathing suits, we are all family after all”. Naomi asks, “So what your telling me this is a mini “Mystic Springs”? “Well if that works for you, go for it”. We all exit on the pool level. Our daughter strips as she runs for the pool, her clothes fly everywhere, and she lets out with a shriek as she dives into the water. The rest of us head for the change room to get towels and get undressed. Leon lets out a contented sigh as he slowly lowers himself into the hot tub. Naomi soon joins him and they stay close. We join them a short time later.

Later we come up for supper, Leon and Naomi have towels wrapped around themselves as they enter Leon’s room. They come out a short time later with Leon’s bag in tow. I look at him with a quizzical look. “Daniel, I hope you don’t mind, but I am going home with my mate”. “Leon, we don’t mind, we are happy for you both”. Susan and I both get up and hug them both, we all then sit down and have supper.


	15. Christmas Season

After supper and before bed, we hand Bonnie the crystal we got at the jewellery store. She strokes it, rubs it, and carrying it like a baby, she heads for her bedroom. We head for bed as well, and linking with our daughter, head for the meadow to speak with Gab. As she sleeps, we talk with Gab, he agrees that she does need training, he tells us to go, he will wake her up.

We come back home and I start to nibble at her neck. “Daniel J, did you bring a carrot to bed? You know we don’t eat food in bed”. “No love, not a carrot, it’s a secret”. “Are you planning to let your wife in on this secret”? “Well yes I am, but first you have a flea at the base of your ears, and I need to get rid of it”. With that I move from her neck to the base of her ears, and start to nibble and lick.

Gab reaches down and shakes Bonnie awake. She sits up, and letting out with a cute yawn, opens her eyes. She jumps up and adopts her fighting stance. Gab falls down laughing, “Bonnie girl you’re not here to learn fighting, but other things”. Still in her stance she asks in a shaky voice, “Who are you, and where am I”? “Why I’m Gab and this here is the meadow”. She relaxes a bit. “Why am I here”? “Like I said, you are here to learn. Your parents felt that you needed training that they could not provide, so I’m your new teacher. You need training in your ability as well. Tell me Bonnie what did you see when you first woke up”? “I saw that I was surrounded by a mist, with a glowing ball in front of me, it didn’t become a meadow till you said it was a meadow. You formed into a snow leopard when you named yourself”. “And what do you see now”? “I see the meadow but the further I look the blurrier it gets”. “That is your ability, you can see power. Tell me have you seen power in the waking world”? “Yes, I see some blurry edge lines and pools in the park near our home”. “all power forms into lines and pools, before draining away to here”. “Like rivers and lake”? “Very good analogy, just like rivers and lakes”. “This is an ability”? “Yes, it is, it’s very rare, and few have learned to use it”. “Can I use this power like my parents”? “I’m sorry Bonnie you can’t use this power”.

“So, what good is this ability”? “Bonnie you are what I know as a power conduit, you can draw in power and pass it to a power user. Reach out your left paw and think of drawing in power, and with your right pass the power to me”. She reaches out her left, and thinks of the power coming into her, then with her right she passes it to Gab. She fells an electrical like current passing through her, it tickles a bit and she starts to laugh, this breaks her concentration.“Very good, I was not expecting that kind of control for the first time”. “So, I can pass power to my parents and auntie”? “Yes, you could, but you need lots of training in this, you don’t want to pass all your power to another as this could kill you”. “Yes, I could see that, so what does my crystal have to do with it? “Crystal”? “Yes, I found one in a jewellery store just this morning. It was calling to me”.

“May I take your paw please”? Bonnie gives him her paw. “Now I want you to think of this crystal, the shape, the feel, the taste, yes, I know you have licked it”. Bonnie blushes, but does as he asks. Gab holds her paw for a few. _“Way to early, Gab thinks, things are moving way to fast”._ Gab lets go of her paw. “The crystal is a remote access point to you, if you gave it to your parents, they could draw power to them through you and your crystal. The crystal is an extension of you. Guard it well”. “So, do you think you could find your way back here”? “I’m not sure I could do that with out help”. “It’s ok, your parents will help you”.

“So, when do we begin my training”? “Not tonight Bonnie, tonight we will be focusing on ethic puzzles”. “Puzzles? I don’t like puzzles”. “It’s not so much a puzzle, as an exercise in thinking. With that, lets begin. You are standing on a bridge overlooking a rail yard…”.

Susan and I wake up the next morning, I nibble at her neck as I reach around and hug her close. I get up on my left elbow, Susan turns her head, and we kiss. Later we head for the shower, a very long, long hot shower. After getting dressed, we leave our room.

Bonnie is not there to greet us; we are a little concerned. We open the door to her room; she is still in bed with the crystal hugged tight to her chest. The crystal is pulsating with a weak light. The pulses correspond with her heart beat. We go and sit down, and head for the meadow. Gab waylays our fears and concern about the crystal. He tells us it’s doing her no harm, and may be beneficial to her. We get up again, have breakfast, and head out for Christmas shopping.

Yes, I know typical guy thing. But as we had been in the academy all this time, we had no time for shopping. We buy gifts for all our siblings, littermates, Scott, and our daughter. We needed help getting everything up stairs. In the afternoon we take Bonnie and buy gifts from the three of us for our parents and grandparents. We are exhausted by the end of the day. Who knew shopping could be so tiring? As we lay there soaking in the hot tub, our daughter was in the pool having fun with everyone else.

Come Monday morning everyone groans at having to get up at five again. Everyone’s form is good, and the sparing went well. I think it’s time for testing for everyone. We all head for the DOJO except for mom and dad they would meet us there later. When we come in Maurice greets us all warmly. Testing begins for us all. To the acclaim of everyone in the DOJO grandma gets a double black belt. The rest of our siblings get black belts, Scott and William both earn brown belts. Justin and Elisabeth and grandpa earn purple belts. But the one we were the proudest of was, was our daughter, she earned a purple belt. She was darn near impossible to hit. Her gymnastic approach to fighting had all the masters impressed, and at one-and-a-half she was the youngest member of any DOJO to receive a purple belt.

Susan and I took our turn, we agreed to fight four masters at once, of course we pulled out the same trick as the master’s tournament. We blind folded ourselves, mom and dad walked in at this point. They watched us fight, the pride we felt off of them as we fought was plateable. Then came their turn. Both of them were good, and the kick approach mom used was coming along well, the rough edges had been smoothed out. Both mom and dad went to a red belt. Dad got a little cocky at this point, but I felt I could beat that out of him tomorrow morning.The next morning, I spar with dad and show him a few new moves, I don’t beat on him too much, but his cockiness is now gone. Susan spars with our daughter, and shows her a few new moves, she wasn’t as cocky as dad, but she did settle down pretty quick.

Christmas came early this year, our daughter decided to get up at four and shriek into all our minds to wake us up. Some grumbled, but a few cups of coffee had them awake enough to enjoy the gift unwrapping.

We go on Saturday to the wedding of Leon and Naomi, it’s just a civil ceremony, outside in their yard, but Susan and I can feel the love they have for each other. We have a good time and Suzie breaks out in song. Leon and Naomi hired her for their wedding, it was Suzie’s first payed gig. Well soon everyone is dancing on the lawn in the halls, in the living room, and on the small balcony. There is booze but not many are drinking. We greet our class mates who can attend, and shake some paws of some we don’t know. We both say hi to Charles and Kathleen, and hold Leon’s brother. Some of the neighbour’s are miffed, but as the noise is not too loud, and the singing is excellent, they just sit back on their front porches listening.

**Academy personal.**

On Monday the trainers at the academy meet to discuss this year’s class. The chief of police is with them. “So major Ursula, how has this year’s class been so far”? “Very good Adrian, we are having the highest turn out so far”. “How so”? Well as you know by this point, we usually have a thirty-five to forty percent failure rate, but this year we only have a twenty-two percent failure rate”. “Wow I’m impressed, to what do you attribute this higher success rate”?

“Well you’re not going to believe this, but we attribute the success rate to two of the cadets”. “Let me guess, Daniel and Susan Wilde”? “Good guess, and your bang on. Those two inspire others to give it their all. They are the first at everything, and the rest want to match them. when they see a bunny and a fox beating them, they all try that much harder. They have beaten all the old records, even the ones their parents set up”.

“So, I can assume that they will become a pain in my butt just like their parents”? “Well you did request the top ten-percent for precinct-one, and they are the top, one more record broken by those two, is we are going to have two valedictorians, we can’t separate their scores, we have to go to three decimal points just to find a difference”. “Is there anything they don’t excel at”? “Well no, they are so good that they help anyone who asks for it. They train everyone in the morning, at five in the gym. I mean everyone, that exercise routine they do we are seriously thinking of adopting. Even the large mammals work out with them. And the “avoidance thing” Works well, Russ can’t get a hit on most of them, they just flow out of the way. Russ has managed to beat some of the foolish ones, but most are wise. Some have managed to get a hit on Russ, but no one has managed to knock him down yet. The matches are called only when Russ is worn out”. “I never thought I would say this, but I think you need a younger rhino, I’m getting to old for this”. Every one laughs. “Oh, Russ, this is only a blip, you will be back to beating on the cadets next year”. Replies Ursula.

“So, Kevin how are they at the range”? “Well, Adrian they are the best with anything we put in their paws. They are accurate with everything except the mark-eleven, but we are having the engineer who redesigned the mark-ten look into how the mark-eleven could be improved. He has already redesigned the mark-six and the mark-seven to accept the new style of ammo, and I for one love the new mark-ten”. “Yes, I saw your recommendation, are they that good”? “I won’t lie to you, it was a bit hard to get use to the fact I only had to have one gun, I kept reaching for my taser holster, and not finding it. But yes, that gun is amazing, it will just take some time for me to get use to it”. “Right I have authorized the procurement department to buy one-hundred of the new mark-tens, and smith & Willison said they would have them to the ZPD by the end of May. How many do you need for the new cadets”? “Thirty-five would be enough, that gives us a few extra here”. “What about the ammo”? “The company that produces it, said they would have a million round of all three types for the different guns, by the end of April.“I’m sure you tried them out on sniper rifles, I assume that they did good”? “Well Adrian they broke that record too”. “Is there anything they are not good at”?

“Nothing we’ve found so far; we would like to put them on the detective track. As a team they excel at every thing, and we feel they could be detectives”. “I just promoted their parents, and I’m not sure that’s a good idea”. “You don’t have to put them in the detective branch right away, let them work as patrol mammals for awhile, give them cold cases to work on”. “All right I can see the merit in that. Again, the question, is there nothing they are not good at”?

“Well they are good at jokes too”. “Do I need to ask what Daniel did”? “How do you know it was Daniel”? “I can only assume, like father like son”. Well yes, “We don’t want to embarrass you Ursula, but I think he needs to know”. The rest of the trainers start to snicker at this point.“well, this is kind of embarrassing for me. It seems some one managed to slip red fur dye into my bottle of fur wash. I’m not pointing at Daniel, but I was pink for two whole weeks. I took it out on all the cadets, and they all looked guilty. Daniel was the only one to have a smug look on his muzzle. I watched all the videos from my hall, my room, and the outside wall, if he did do it, I don’t see how he got into my room, no cadet so much as set one paw into my hallway”. I even had the tech boys go over all the footage, it was not tampered with in any way that they could find”.

“So, what else happened”? Kevin speaks up, “Well all the salt shakers disappeared from the mess, and I found them all later in my bed. I think it had something to do with the “Salt of the earth” crack I made in class. I watched the hall way monitor, and the outside monitor, and again no one entered my room”. “Do you think he could have had help”? “He must have, I don’t see any other way it could have been done. We have questioned his bunk mates, but they swear they didn’t help him. They, by the way, will be your new TO’s this term, we believe they did help Daniel, but if they did, they are very good at covering their tracks”.

I can’t believe we are still talking about those two. Who else stands out for you”? “Well, Leon Lionhart is very good at S.W.A.T. maneuvers, and is a force to be reckoned with, he has a chip on his shoulder, but we believe it will work out. Kathy Peryton is an extraordinary tactician she can see the littlest hole in a plan, and work with it. Donna Wolfson is another one for the S.W.A.T. department, I know she has gone toe to toe with Russ and he was a bit intimidated”. They took a break for lunch at this point, and after lunch got back to it.

On Tuesday we all start arriving back at the academy, Wednesday was the start of the second half of our training. This time I think blue, yes, blue would do.


	16. The end of the academy

Things get back to normal at the academy. We help train most of the class who ask for it, and a lot of people ask. We barely have any time to ourselves, but we manage. Our daughter again is not happy, but we still talk to her every night in the meadow when we take her there, we can see a change in her as she learns about ethics. Gab tells us she is learning how to use her ability, but when we asked, he would not tell us what it is, only saying the Bonnie would tell us when the time comes. I don’t like mysteries, but it is her story to tell.

Two weeks after returning we are called out of police procedures class. “Daniel, Susan, if you would come with me please”? We follow the instructor down the hall to another class room. We sit down. “Right you two, I’m going to give you a test to see how you do”. With that we are handed a written test one-hundred-and-fifty questions long. “This is a timed test, take as long as you need to complete it”. We complete the test in about one-hour and forty-minutes. “Thank you, your next class begins in ten-minutes in class room one-thirty-four”. We jump to it, and head for the class room. The teacher sitting behind the desk is the badger who was checking us all in back in August.

“Well you two, I can see you’ve made it this far, but don’t think my class is going to be easy. I will show you gruesome crime scene photos and evidence, and you are going to tell me what happened, and who’s guilty”. “Sir, are these real crime scene photos”? “Yes, Daniel they are, think you can handle them”? “Yes Sir, we can”. “Good that’s why we schedule them before lunch, don’t want you recruits messing up the floor of this class room”. “All right, here is the evidence collected, here are the witness statements, and here are the photos, go to town, let’s see your deductive reasoning”.

We looked everything over, it was gruesome but this would be our job. We talked as we looked it all over, and before the end of the week we came back to him with our deductions. We could tell he was impressed. “All right you two I will have a new case file before the beginning of next week, you have this time frame to do as you please till then”. “Ah sir, shouldn’t we be going back to the other class”? “Whatever for”? The test you took before you first came into my class, was your final test for the other class. Oh, just to let you know you passed”. Susan and I just hug as he laughs, we move out of the class room paw in paw.

Come Monday some of the rest of the cadets have joined us in the new class. We then found out what he meant about the class schedule. After pairing us up, the pairs were handed case files, two members got sick, and had to clean up the mess, but to do them credit they then went back to the case files. The file we were handed was a little harder, as there wasn’t enough information in it. We had an advantage as we could talk it over in our minds as we looked it over. We came to the teacher two days later and made a presentation to him. We could tell he was floored. “All right you two I’m impressed, you have free time till tomorrow, you will get your new case file then.

The new case file was even harder, there was even less information to work with, but we did our best and presented our findings on Friday. He was really impressed; we were quizzed on our findings tell the end of class. “Alright come Monday new case file then, go on get out of here”. We went from there to the gym. We started our routine and some of the other cadets joined us. This was where the fight master found us at the start of the class.

He walks over, “would you two put on a demonstration of fighting for the class”? “Yes sir, we can, What’s up”? “Well some of the class is slacking off, and I wanted to show them what else can be accomplished if they put their minds to it”. So, fight we did, we even fought with blindfolds. We could tell the class was impressed, so was the fight master. The applause after we were done was deafening. “So, class you have seen what can be accomplished if you put your mind to it. I am also led to believe that Daniel and Susan train cops at precinct-0ne, is this true”? “Yes sir, it is”. “Right class you can see that this doesn’t have to be the end of your training here at the academy, for the lucky few who get chosen for precinct-one I’m sure Daniel and Susan will continue your training, if you want it”. We can see the extra effort put in by the whole class.

Come Monday we are handed several case files and evidence boxes. We then moved to the back of the class and took a whole table and white board. We started to lay it all out. We kept it all separate but started to build our case. After a few days, we found they were all linked, no one knew they were linked. We had found proof of this link and we built our case against one individual. We laid it all out for our teacher, when we were done, we were told to leave it, we would go over it again tomorrow. Tomorrow we got a bit off a shock.

“Well you two this is very impressive, but you have to go over it again”. “Sir”? “These two detectives want you two to go over it again with them”. With that mom and dad walk into the room. We rush over and hug them both. It’s a few before we let them go, they go and sit down in two chairs, and have us go over our conclusions and conjectures again. The whole class sits down and listens as we make our case. After a few minutes, dad gets on his phone.

After about forty-minutes of explaining it all again, dad gets a phone call, he talks for a few, and hangs up. “Well, you two your mom and I are impressed, you have solved your first case”. “Ah dad, are you telling us this is a real case”? “Yes son, these were cold cases that came out of the archives. They were all cold for four years, no one thought they could be put together, but you two did it. Your teacher was impressed with your earlier work, and decided that it wouldn’t hurt if you looked at some real cold cases”. Just then mom’s phone rings. “Hello? Yes, it is, right thanks. Well Susan and Daniel you truly have your first solved case. I just got word that the perp when arrested confessed before a single question was asked of him. Again, well done “. Our classmates all clap for us.

Later that week we were all standing at parade rest when the major comes out. It was all we could do not to laugh at her. She was a dark blue. As she stood in front of us, Leon couldn’t hold it in anymore. He burst out laughing. “You find this amusing Lionhart”? Yes ma… I mean no ma’am, and my last name has been changed back to my first surname”. “Really, and what might that be”? “My surname is now Brock ma’am”. “Well I see, and do you find this amusing”? “Yes, ma’am, I really do”. “And why is that”? “Sorry ma’am. I’ve never seen a walking talking blueberry before”. We all burst out laughing at this point. “All right cadets if this is so amusing to you, I want two perimeter laps, now MOVE”. Still laughing we all start to run.

I guess I wasn’t being sneaky enough, later on Saturday I headed for an early shower, Susan was still asleep, and hardly anyone else was up. I just let the hot water roll off of me. I added some soap to the body brush mounted on the wall, and using the brush, worked the soap deep into my winter coat. I did this with my eyes closed as I didn’t want to get soap in them. When I started to rinse, I opened my eyes. Imagine my shock to find myself a deep midnight blue. I just looked at myself and laughed, I had been got. As I left the shower room, major Ursula was leaning on the wall. When she saw me, she smiled, and gave me a two-finger salute as she laughed and walked down the hall.

Everyone laughed at me, except for my mate. But I could see that she wanted to laugh. When anyone asked why I was blue, I just told them it was camouflage for night maneuvers. Or I was blue because it wasn’t spring yet. I sure hoped the dye came out when my winter coat leaves, I didn’t want to be blue at graduation.

When the new mark-elevens came in, Donna and Leon were given them to try. They were both impressed, the jump was gone, and they liked the new ammo. The rest of the class that were qualified on the mark-ten were given the new mark-tens. Both the new guns had laser sights, and removeable flashlights for the barrels. Most were impressed with the new guns, and their ability to shoot accurately was increased as well. Some even achieved marksman level. Mark-sevens were handed out to the other smaller mammals. Susan and I stayed with our old mark-ten, not out of loyalty, but out of the fact we did have them made for us, and the stock was modified for laser sights too.

Mom was handed a new mark-seven, mom was leery about the mark-seven, but she got up the nerve and fired it. She was amazed, the mark-seven had no more kick than the mark-six she was used to. With the laser sight, she went up a level in accuracy. Dad got a new mark-ten, and was proficient with it by the end of the week.

We spent more time in other classes. We did exercise with major Ursula three days a week, and the other two we learned about hostage negotiations. In the afternoon same with the fight class, three days a week and the other two we were back in simulations, hostage and take downs. We solved five more cold cases in our time at the academy, we could not solve them all, but we tried our best. Then came graduation day.

As I stood in front of the mirror, I could not help but feel proud of myself, and I definitely looked good in the uniform. I walk out of the dorm and run into my mate. My jaw drops, the uniform fits her perfectly, every curve. She just smiles at me. We hug, and head down the hall. Most of the rest of the class is preening as well.

We both feel a sad person, it’s Leon. Susan moves down the hall, and I stay to see if I can cheer Leon up, this should be one of the happiest days of his life. “What’s up Leon”? “Oh, it’s you”. “Tell me what’s up Leon, I can feel your hurt”. “Daniel, my wife may not be here to see me graduate”. “Why’s that Leon”? He lets out with a big sigh, “Daniel we have been drifting apart for the last four weeks. Every time I call, she seems a little distant, she has not come to see me in that time frame, and I miss her terrible. I think she may have a boyfriend”. “Leon, I know your wife would never cheat on you, she loves you way too much”. “I wish I could believe that”. “Trust me Leon, you are the only one in her life”.

As Susan walks down the hall, she hears a hiss and sees a paw beckoning her towards a room. She goes over as she can feel it’s Naomi. “What’s up girlfriend”? Naomi turns around and Susan can see she is pregnant. Susan pulls her into a hug. “Oh, Naomi why didn’t you tell me”? Naomi sits down in a chair and starts to bawl her eyes out. “Susan I can’t tell him”. “Why”? “Susan from all the literature I have read, Tigon’s are sterile, I don’t what him to believe that I cheated on him”. “And did you cheat on him”? “NO, I would never do that to him, he has been my one and only love for many years now. I have loved him for four years now, and…” “You need to tell him Naomi”. “Susan I can’t face him; I can’t have him believe that I cheated on him”. “How do you know that Leon is sterile”? “Well I don’t…” “Then tell him”.

As Leon and I walk down the hall, I can feel Susan call us to a room. As we walk in, I can see Naomi standing in a corner facing away from us. “Naomi you came”! She holds up a paw to him. “Leon, I have something to tell you, please don’t think bad of me “. “I want to tell you I love you and only you, there has been no other in my life”. “Naomi what are you saying”? Naomi lets out a little sigh and turns around. “YOUR PREGNANT, WHOO-HOO”. Leon rushes forward and brings her into a hug. “You’re not mad, or think I cheated on you”? “You would never cheat on me Naomi”. Naomi bawls all the harder as Leon holds her.

“Naomi while I was on my year of self-discovery, I thought of you often, and how you would want cubs, and I wondered if I could father cubs with you. I went to a fertility clinic, and had myself tested. Most of my sperm we not moving, but about forty-percent were, so that meant that there was a chance I could get you pregnant. And I can see the results in front of me”.

“Oh, Leon I have been so scared you would think I would be cheating on you, and….” “It’s ok love, I know they are mine”. Leon just holds her tighter. “Do my mom and dad know yet”? “No, I have kept myself in the house and seen no one”. “Well dad’s going to be shocked. Wait until we tell them”. Leon leans down and put an ear on her belly. “I wonder how many we have”? “You have three”, said Susan. “How can you know that”? “Let’s just say it’s part of my ability, would you like to know the sex of your cubs”? they both look at Susan and nod their heads yes. “You are having two females and one male”. Leon just looks at his wife and says, “you did it”. “No, you dumb tigon, we did it”.

Naomi follows Leon as we make our way to the parade grounds. Leon spots his dad and walks over. “Hi dad, glad you could make it”. “I wouldn’t miss this for the world. Oh, Naomi you came as well, come here and give your father in-law a hug”. He gets a shocked look on his face. “Your pregnant”? She just nods as she embraces him. Kathleen gets a tear in her eye. “Well son, I didn’t know you had it in you”. “Well dad, it was only a forty-percent chance it could happen, but it did, we beat the odds”. “Yes I can see that”. Kathleen hugs Naomi as well. “Ah, Leon we need to get in our chairs, they’re about to start”.


	17. May you be one with the force

We all find our seats, as major Ursula comes to the podium. I look around trying to spot mom and dad, but I don’t see them. I ask Susan, but she says she can’t see them either. They have to be here somewhere; I was sure they wouldn’t miss this.

“Well Cadets, or should I say officers, I’m proud of you all. All of you can be proud of yourselves as well, this is the best class of officers I have had the pleasure of training. You have collectively the highest scores ever recorded at the academy. You will do the service proud, now I’m sure that you have had enough of me talking for the last ten months, so I’m going to turn it over to our guest speakers. Some of you have met them already, so without further a-due, I give you our guest speakers, Nick and Judy Wilde”. Wow, are Susan and I shocked, mom and dad are the guest speakers!

Mom and dad climb the stairs behind the podium. Dad taps the mic and creates a high squeal and squeak. “Sorry every one I’m a bit electronically challenged”. He gets a few laughs from the crowd. “So, I had this big glorious speech planned”, he pats himself down, “but I appear to have forgotten it”. He gets a few more chuckles. “Enough Nick, Hi, everyone I’m Judy and this comedian want-a-be is my husband Nick”. Mom got some laughs and dark looks, but most could care less they are a pred, prey couple.

“Most of you should recognise us from our pictures that use-to hang around the academy, tell two new recruits beat all of our old records. But I couldn’t be prouder that all of our old records fell to our son and daughter”. Some of the class look over at Susan and I. “As you know Nick and I were the first bunny and fox under the small mammal inclusion act, but we won’t be the last. Five bunnies have followed me into the force and the seventh will be our daughter Susan, and Daniel our son, will be the second fox on the force”. We both get strange looks from the ones who don’t know us well.

“So, what can I say about this year’s class? You have all done well, you’ve accepted your differences and worked around the ones you couldn’t. and that’s what our job is about. You all tried to work together, and that’s what being an officer is all about. We all have strengths and weaknesses, but we all come together as a team. This year’s class I hope will become the blue wave, that washes away the crimes of the city”.

“I’m sure some of you have heard my speech from when detective Wilde graduated from the academy, and I’m not going to repeat it, and bore you to death. So, I will just say congrats to you all, job well done, now let’s get out there and make the world, or Zootopia, a better place”. Everyone cheered, and we threw our caps in the air.

The ceremony with the giving of our badges was handled by mom and dad. Dad called out the newly minted officers and mom gave them their badges. She had to climb a set of stairs to pin the badges on the large mammals. Susan and I were the last ones called, Dad came down from the podium, and stood beside mom. Susan and I walk up, and do a crisp salute to them both. Mom and dad both have tears in their eyes as they pined our badges on us. And breaking ceremony, they then hugged us both.

Later, we answered many questions about our relationship with mom and dad, but the most attention we got was when the class found out we were married. Then when our daughter ran up and landed on my shoulder, the attention shifted to her, and she loved it. Our siblings, Scott, and littermates hug us in a group hug, mom and dad just stand there with pride in their eyes. Grandpa and grandma hug us both as well. Stu and Bonnie hug us, and of course Stu is crying. We spend the rest of the afternoon circulating amongst all the guests, and our class mates.

We watched Naomi and Leon ride away on his bike. “Should she be riding that bike in her condition”? “Relax mom”, Says Izzy, “she’s pregnant not injured, she can handle it just fine”. Susan and I ride the train home with our family. We have fun and our daughter bounces around the observation car. Susan and I cuddle close, not really paying attention to anyone else. We are not kissing but we get smirks from our parents and grand parents. We disappear into our room when we get home, and come out later in the evening.

Come Monday after breakfast we get into our uniforms, and strapping on our utility belts and guns, come out of our room to picture flashes. So, we posed for the cameras. Mom, dad, Susan, and I, then all walk to the precinct. As we come in the door, we are treated to a glass breaking squeal from Clawhauser. “Oh, my God you two are so adorable”. “Clawhauser we are cops, not some cute plush toys”. “Yes, you are, sorry”. “Morning Ben”, says mom. “Morning Judy, Nick”. “What’s up spots”? “Not much, OH, have you seen the new Gazelle CD? She’s coming back to town later this year, I hope I can get tickets”. “Well Spots, just for you, I’ll see what I can do”. “Really Nick? That would be so awesome”. Nick looks at the clock, “Sorry spots, looks like we have to get these two to the bull pen, can’t have them late on their first day”. “Right have a good day you four”. Ben waves, as we all head for the bull pen.

Mom and dad hug us outside the bull pen, and then head for their office. Both of us look at the door, we swallow our nervousness, and walk in. We get about halfway down the isle towards the front, when the noise level goes down and everyone stares at us. Fangmyer and Wolford just smile at us. We both hop up into mom and dad’s old chair. Mchorn just looks at us out of the corner of his eye, he gets a shocked look on his face when he recognizes us. Just then we are called to attention, and Chief Bogo walks in.

The officers start to pound on the tables, and make some noise. “All right, shut it”. Everyone simmers down and sits down. “Well I see you two made it, perhaps I should introduce you two, but I won’t, most know you already, and those who don’t, will get to know you shortly. Wolford, Fangmyer you are split up this morning You will take the newbies on patrol in savanna central. You will be back together this afternoon, after you drop these two back at the precinct. When you get back, Susan, Daniel, you will come and see me for your afternoon assignments. You will be doing this for the foreseeable future”. We all sit there, “What are you still doing here? get out there on patrol”! The four of us, jump down and head out the door.

Wolford and I head for one cruiser, and Susan and Fangmyer head for another. Ralph is very quiet as he gets behind the wheel. “So, Ralph old buddy, how’s life treating you”? “First off rookie, I’m not your old buddy, second it’s Wolford to you, third keep your eyes peeled for any kind of trouble”. “YES SIR, Wolford sir”. Ralph deflates a bit behind the wheel, “Sorry Daniel, I’ve been a little high strung for a while”. “Do you want to talk about it”? “Yeah I do, but now’s not the time, we are on patrol”. “Well if my temporary partner doesn’t have his head in the game, we could fail at our patrol”. Wolford pulls the cruiser over, and just looks at me. “Do you really think you can help me”? “Don’t know Wolford Sir, I can only try”. “You won’t let this go will you”? “No sir, I can’t”. 

:Ralph deflates, “It has to do with my wife”. “So, what’s the problem with Fangmyer”? Ralph gets a shocked look on his face; “you know I’m married to Lilly”? “Ralph I’ve known you and Lilly were together since Susan and I’s wedding, when did you marry her”? Ralph chuckles a bit, “Well we married a week after you and Susan did, you guys showed us that we could be together. It’s been two years, and I’m questioning if I still love her”. “So, the honeymoon phase is over, and now the reality of life has hit home”. “Yeah, I guess”. “So, tell me, what’s the biggest bone of contention between you two”? “Well it seems like she doesn’t want to do anything together…”. “That’s not it, is it”? “No, I guess not, the real reason I guess is the fact we are still trying to keep it hidden from my parents”. “So why are you keeping it from your parents”?

“Daniel my parents are against interspecies couples, they threw my brother Tom out of the pack five years ago over his new wife Terisa, she is a spotted hyena. I was not supposed to hear the fight, but I had just gotten home from a late patrol, when I heard them fighting in the front hallway. I hid myself in the back of the boot room as Tom stormed out of the building with his wife. They were very vocal later that day about what happened, and they decided to throw him out of the pack. I don’t what to leave my pack, and Lilly and I have fought over that”.

“So, it’s between love for Lily, and love for your pack? Which one’s stronger”? and do you think they might have changed”? I doubt it, but they have not spoken out against other interspecies couples, not even your mom and dad”. “So, you need to tell them, for Lilly’s sake, she loves you, you dumb dog, she should be first in your life”. “It’s not that easy…”. “Wrong Ralph it is just that easy, and if your parents can’t accept her, I’m sure I know a pack who would love and support you both”.

“Really, and who would that be”? “That Ralph would be the Howler pack”. “Daniel how do you know the Howlers? They are one of the most respected packs in the wolf pack community”. “I know them, as my grand mother married Peter Howler, Perry Howler’s brother”. “And before you ask, my grand mother is a fox, this is how I know they will love and support you. Peters brother Terry and his wife Sasha who’s a cat by the way, both live in the Howler compound. So, yes, I’m sure the leader would welcome you in”. “You know the pack leader”? “Sure, I know Perry, he come’s to a pool party that my parents host at the end of every month”. “Your right Daniel, I need to look at this another way, are you sure they will accept us”? “IF your parents don’t, I’m sure the Howlers will”.

“Oh scat, Ralph duck”. “What”? “GET DOWN NOW”. I grab the mic “ZPD-33 to Dispatch we have a 10-82 in progress, approximately 5 perps. with visual on 10-46F at the corner of central and 8th, requesting back up to Hammond jewellers”. “Roger ZPD-33, back up ETA 2-minutes”. “How do we do this Ralph”? “Both of us out my side, and stay behind the car”. Ralph opens his door, and climbs out hugging the ground, I go over the console and crawl out his door, hugging the ground as well. We crawl up behind the car in front of the jewellers. The alarm goes off in the store, and we hear gun shots.

A car door opens on the other side of the street, and I hear the click of the hammer drawn back on a gun. I turn and trank and taser the perp as he raises his gun. As he falls into the street, the rest of his buddies come out of the store. “ZPD FREEZE”. Yells Ralph, but of course they don’t. They as one, raise their guns, Ralph and I start shooting. I manage to get a trank or taser into them all, I then switch clips and fire an extra trank into them all. I look over at Ralph to see him clutching his neck, and see the spray of arterial blood from between his fingers. “SCAT”.

I jump on his chest and bat his paw away from his neck, and replace it with mine. I hit Ralph with a compulsion to sleep, and he does. I then using power, wrap his artery in power to stop the blood loss. I use power for the meadow, but it’s taking more power than the meadow can supply me. I grab my shoulder mic, “ZPD-33 Officer down, I repeat Officer down I need a 10-64 to our location”. “Roger ZPD-33 on route ETA 1-min. The first of our back up arrive, damn if it isn’t Susan and Lilly. They both run up. “Lilly back off, secure the scene, I’ve got him and he’s going nowhere”. She doesn’t want to do what I said, so I laid a compulsion on her. “Lilly please secure the scene, I’ve got Ralph, and he’s not going anywhere on my watch”. Susan and Lilly hand cuff the perps and sit them up against the wall. Lilly goes to the one across the street and none to gently drags him across the street, bumping his head against the curb. “Oops”. She says as she sits him up against the wall as well. Susan goes into the store and secures the scene. She calls for more ambulances for some civilians in the store, but they have minor wounds compared to Ralph.

When the paramedics get there, they tell me to get off of Ralph, I tell them no, they will have to take us together. I can see the bear paramedic wants to physical throw me off, and I look up at him with slitted eyes. He backs off and does what I say. Susan comes over and feeds me as much power as she can afford, and we are on the way to the hospital. “Sir I need you to remove your paw from his neck, so I can asses the damage”. “Sorry, my paw is the only thing keeping him from bleeding out. His carotid has been bisected by a bullet; he needs surgery to close it”. I move my paw enough and he can see I’m right, he looks and can see the blood flowing from one side of the gap to the other. “How are you doing that”? “Sorry sir, that’s classified”. He shakes his head, and continues to monitor his vitals.

In the hospital we are immediately rushed into surgery. The surgeon tries to throw me out, but I stop him with a compulsion. I lift my paw out of the way so he can see the damage. He gets a shocked look on his face, “classified” I tell him. He calls a mouse surgeon in for the ultra fine stitching required. A little later, “I hate to be a bother, but how much longer is this going to take”? “Just about done”, he squeaks “Two more stitches to go”. I’m glad as I’m just about out of power, I have been using my own energy for about five minutes. “All right, stop what your doing, I’m done”. I slowly stop and the stitching holds. I slump to the side of Ralph, and pass out.

I come to a little later laying on a gurney in a recovery room with Susan holding me. I lean down and give her a kiss on the top of her head. She mumbles something about a foolish fox as she wakes up. Susan feeds me a bit more power so I can sit up. “How is he Susan”? “He’s fine Daniel, but chief Bogo is none to happy with you”. “He’ll get over it love”. “What will I get over”? Says chief Bogo as he walks into the room.

“I’m sorry sir, Ralph and I were the first Officers on the scene, and we both left”. The chief holds up one hoof, “Daniel you did leave the scene when you should have stayed, but Ralph would not still be with us if you hadn’t. I have watched the cruiser cam and your body cam, and I saw the arterial spray. He is alive because of you, and procedure be damned you did the right thing”. Thanks chief”. “I hope this won’t be a thing with you two, I don’t need the headache”.

“Now I have to take your gun, and IA will be talking to you in the morning. This discharge of a service weapon has to be investigated, but I don’t see a problem, other than the fact this was your first day”. “Yes sir”, I say as Susan helps me to unbuckle my utility belt, I roll it up and hand it to him. “I want to see you bright and early to the precinct tomorrow, I need a full report ASAP”. “Yes sir”.

Lilly Holds Ralphs paw as he lays in the hospital bed. Ralph slowly come back to awareness. He can tell he is in a hospital, he can smell it, and hear the monitor with his steady heart beat. He can feel someone holding his paw as he slowly opens his eyes. “Water”, he croaks. Lilly’s head snaps up to see him smiling at her. She squeezes his paw and gets the water for him. He takes a drink to lubricate his throat, “How am I still alive love, I saw the arterial spray and knew I was dead, my last thought was of you, and how much I hurt you, I’m sorry Lilly”. “Well Daniel saved your life not certain how he did that, but I am ever grateful”.

“Oh, you dumb dog, don’t you ever try to leave me like that again, you are my life, what would I do without you”? “Lilly do you have your ring on you”? “Yes, I do, why”? “Put it on I’m tired of hiding”. She tears up. “Are you sure Ralph”? “I have never been more certain of anything in my life. You mean the world to me, and my parents can be dammed, if they can’t love you like I do, we can find another pack to belong to”. Lilly hugs him gently. “That’s good to hear Ralph, they have been waiting for hours to see you”. The monitor goes up a bit, but not by much. “Are my clothes here”? “Yes, they are, but they cut them off you”. “Left front pocket if you would please”. Lilly searches the pocket and finds his ring. “All right love, lets face them together”, Ralph says as he puts his ring on.Lilly goes to the door, and motions to the two wolves in the hall to come in. Ralphs parents rush in, and hug him gently. “Well son you have looked better”, says his dad. “Dad, Lilly and I have something to say to you”. “What, that your married? Your mother and I have known for two years. Did you think you could keep it from us? We were behind the curtain at the JP’s office, if you had checked your marriage certificate you would have noticed your mother’s and mine name signed on the bottom under witnesses”. “But I thought you were against mixed species couples”. “What ever gave you that idea”? “The incident with Tom, my older brother”. 

Both Ralphs parents laugh and Howl. “Oh, God, son, you believed that”? “Well yes, I did, it seemed real”. “It was real at the time, your brother had just turned states evidence on the company he worked for, and he didn’t want them coming after us. So, we concocted the plan of us throwing him out, it had to be believable”. “Well I sure believed it. So where is he now”? “He’s back at the compound, his old bosses were convicted, and are now doing jail time. It was now safe for us all, so Tom came back. His wife is a real doll”.

“Son you and Lilly are welcome in the compound as well. We had one of the adult suites enlarged for Lilly. She can stand up in the shower without having to bend over to wash the top of her head”. “Lilly Wolford, would you like to move in with my family”? asks Ralph. “Ralph I would love for us to move in with your family, but we are kind of loud”. “Won’t be a problem”, says Ralph’s dad. “We’ve had the latest sound dampening products install in the suite. Most of us adults are pretty loud in the compound, we howl a lot”. They all laugh and chuckle like they had never been split apart.

Eventually I’m able to get off the gurney and walk down the hall. We knock on Ralphs door, and hear the word “enter”. Lilly takes one look at us and rushes to put me in a hug. She starts to cry hard, saying “Thank You”. “Daniel thank you for what you did, I know I wouldn’t be alive if not for you, again thank you”, says Ralph. The Wolford’s just stare at me. “Mom, dad, if not for Daniel here, I would have never made it to the hospital, he kept me alive, how I don’t know, but he did”. The Wolford’s then rush around the bed to hug me as well. It’s a hug fest in the room for about five minutes. Eventually we break apart, and wishing them well, Susan and I head out the door for home.

We come in the house to supper on the table. We manage to sit down before the clapping starts. “Well son, what a way for you to start your career, get the bad guys, save a fellow officers life, and get your first IA investigation, all before noon on your first day. I was on the force a month before my first investigation”. I just blush at his praise; Susan just laughs and holds me tight. Later when we are alone Susan shows me what it means to be alive.


	18. Work nothing but work

The next morning Susan and I walk into the precinct with mom and dad. The squeal from Clawhauser is loud, but not glass shattering. We talk for a bit, and head for the bullpen. As we walk up the isle, the bullpen goes deathly quiet. Susan and I take our customary seat. The clapping and cheering start shortly after we take our seat. Mchorn Smiles down at me, “Well done rookie”. Just then chief Bogo walks into the bullpen.

“All right, Shut it. Daniel your appointment with IA is set for ten-o’clock, have my report ready before then”. “Yes sir”. Susan, I want a full report on my desk by ten o’clock as well, go to the gym afterwards, and do some fight practice. “Yes sir”. As for rest of you, we appear to be having a quiet day, so, continue with your previous assignments and patrols”. We all file out of the bullpen. We stop chief Bogo, and in a small voice, “Sir, we don’t know were our desks are at”. “What? I thought you knew, well doesn’t matter, just go to the cubicles I’m sure you can find them”. With that he turns and walks away. We grab some coffee and head for the cubicles. He wasn’t wrong, the “Welcome Rookie’s” poster was a dead giveaway to which cubicle was ours. We started our reports and had them finished before ten.

I trudged up to the top floor to the IA department. “Well I see that you Daniel are more punctual than your father. Come into the conference room, the rest will join us in a few minutes. Coffee”? “Is it any better than the coffee in the coffee room”? “Well a little better, but it’s still not great”. “Sure, I’ll take a cup”. We sit down and make small talk while we wait for the rest.

Soon the rest of the committee walk in and sit down. They grilled me on all aspects of what happened. They watch the body cams, and ask questions about the time line, time line was important to them. they were worried about my over use of force. I did change clips and trank them all with a second dart. Procedure was broken, when I didn’t check the store for more perps, but they could let that one slide, as I did see them all enter. The grilling was hard but fair, at the end of it they handed me back my gun, and recommended that I have straight clips of Tranks and Tasers instead of the mix. I immediately went down to Kyle at the range and requisitioned replacement ammo. When I came back up, I went to the lunch room, it was lunch time after all.

Susan and I are just sitting there, holding paws across the table in the lunch room, when lieutenant Lister finds us. “So, you two you’re with me this afternoon, come follow me, if your done with your lunch that is”. “Yes, sir we’re done”. We pick up our dishes, and depositing them in the cleaning rack, turn and follow lieutenant Lister.

We walk behind him to the elevator, and take it to the fourth floor. We all turn and head for the detective division. We pass the entrance, and go to the next door. “This is were the two of you will be working in the afternoons”. With that he opens the door to a fairly large work room. It has two brand new medium mammal computers, and chairs. One whole wall is a magnetic white board and the other wall is a cork board. Laid out down the middle are two tables. “Now you will get direction from me, but you can work on anything that grabs your fancy. Just clear it with me first”. “Sir, what exactly are we doing”? Susan asks.

“Oh, sorry, did I neglect to mention that you two are the precinct’s new cold case division”? “Sir”? “Yes, you two have solved more cold cases in the last five-months, than my whole department for the last year. This division is brand new, and you two are heading it”. “Sir, are they’re not more qualified officers that can do this”? “There are more senior officers, but none that are more qualified. I want you two to do this, your deductive reasoning is second to none. I know you are rookies, but I believe you can handle the responsibilities, you can handle the responsibility can’t you”? in unison Susan and I say “YES SIR”. “If and when arrests are to be made you may tag along, but my detectives get the collar, that is until you get enough experience to make your own collars”. “If my detectives ask for help on a case, please help them. They do know not to bother you unless it is a cold case. You will be expected to go on patrol in the mornings, but I expect you here for the afternoons.

“So, were would you like to start? The computers are tied to the data base on all unsolved cases in the city”. Susan and I talk it over for a few seconds, and reply that we would like to start in the missing mammal data base. “Strange but ok, what do you hope to achieve”? “Sir Susan and I would like to bring closure to the families of the missing if we can”. “Very noble you two, have at her, I will check on you at the end of your shift. Oh, and Daniel, you did good yesterday, I’m personally glad you’re on the force”. With that he leaves us to our new jobs. Susan and I start to skim the case file for missing mammals going back for ten years. We look for any kind of correlation, we find some and flag them as related. We find more that are related in other ways. It takes us most of the rest of the day to go from ten-years back to six-years back. We covered only four years in the afternoon. When Lister comes in at the end of shift, he is surprised we even have that much done. When we tell him, we have several possible linked files, he tells us he doesn’t want to know until we can prove a link. He tells us well done as we leave and lock the door.

We are exhausted by the time we get home, and the hot tub fells just fine. Our daughter joins us in the tub and hugs us both, she then gets out of the hot tub and dives in the pool, I thought her shriek was going to break glass. Supper is just great, but we excuse ourselves early for the evening and hit the hay. Susan and I kiss, and the next thing we know, Mavis is playing the wake-up song.

We all go through the routine, and sparing practice. The swim after is fun, our daughter keeps trying to drown us. I grab her and throw her into the deep end. She screams with joy, does some back flips, and does a perfect dive into the water. As she surfaces, everyone claps for her. Mis. Watts has been joining us in the pool for a little bit, before she goes up to make us all breakfast. We are stopped by Clawhauser, and told to go to our division, and work there for the day. When the Wolford’s comes back from medical leave, we will go back on morning patrols. We grab some coffee, and head upstairs to the third floor. Were not in the division five-minutes before Andy pigskin comes into our division, he gets a shocked look on his face.

“You have got to be kidding me, they have two rookies heading the new division”? “What can we do for you sir”? asks Susan. “How did you connive your way into this job, fox”? “We didn’t connive our way into any thing, we earned it”. Susan says a bit testy. “I wasn’t talking to you rabbit, I was talking to that fox”. “Sir, you are on very dangerous ground, I’m this close to arresting you for verbal assault on my mate”. “He’s your mate? That’s just sick”. “Sir kindly tell us what you want, or turn around and leave”.

Just then lieutenant Lister comes up behind Mr. Pigskin. “Andy are you using speciest comments towards these nice officers”? “Sir, how do you expect me to work with this fox”? “I expect you to work with him just like you would with anyone else, if you can’t do that, see me after your shift and I will transfer you to another precinct”. “Sir”? “Look Andy, I have put up with your attitude for years now, instead of firing you, I’m willing to just transfer you. This is not the first complaint of speciest comments I have received about you, and I’m sure it won’t be the last. Just to let you know Andy, these two were the ones to solve the Harrison case, and the William’s case, as far as I’m concerned these two are worth ten of you”. “We’ll see about this, I’m sure the police commissioner will have some thing to say about this”. “Oh, he did Andy, he took Bogo’s recommendation and agreed with it. It’s his endorsement that got this division up and running. These two were specifically asked for by him, but if you want to end your career, by all means go talk to the commissioner”.

Andy let’s out with a huff, and leaves the room. We all hear a door slam further down the hall. “Sorry about Andy, he’s a little hard to get to know, but he is very good at finding the smallest loop hole in a case, and exploiting it. He may never like you, but I believe he can work with you. Give him time, when he sees results from you two, I’m certain he will come around”. Thanks sir, I was this close to arresting him”. “Yes, I can see that Susan, but he is the only one like that. Thank you for letting it slide”.

He leaves and we go back to our computers and go back to the missing mammal files. We get three more years done before lunch. After lunch we get back at it, when mom and dad walk in. “So, you two how’s the hunting going”? “Fine Dad” replies Susan. “Do you guys need some thing”? “Can’t your mom and I just stop by for a visit”? “Dad you know we can see what’s behind it, so what case are you guys wanting us to look at”?

Mom puts a file on the table and I go look at it. After reading it for a few Susan breaks away from her computer and comes over and reads it with me. After reading it for a few Susan goes back to her computer and pulls up a four-year-old missing mammals file. “I think these two are linked, but leave it with us, and we’ll come back to it very soon”. “No rush it’s been cold for one year now, it was handed to us by another detective team, and your mother and I would like to close it”. “All right dad, we’ll do our best”. Dad and mom both hug us as they head out for their own office.

By the end of the week we had put several of the missing person files together as possibly being linked, but mom and dad’s file we could link to seventeen more missing couples’ files. We went down to the file room and pickup the other seventeen files, and spread them out on the table in our work room. The link we discovered was they all went to one particular night club. Once we established this, we then checked the jam cam footage and found that all of them entered the club but didn’t come out, in fact most of the couples that entered didn’t come out. Strange, we thought, but ours was to gather evidence. By Friday we thought we had a case, but we went back to be thorough. We found different jam cam footage that showed all the couples coming out another exit to the building. What made the difference, was as we followed the couple in question, a white van pulled up beside them, we saw them both get tranked and a lion dragged them into the van and speed off.

We called a meeting with our parents and lieutenant Lister. We presented our finding, we had not gone through all the jam cam footage for all the couples, but after the third abduction, was when we called the meeting. “So, as you can see, we believe that all the couples were abducted why were not sure, but we are sure it has something to do with the “Kitty cat” night club”. Mom does a full head blush; dad snickers and Lieutenant Lister just smiles at us.

“Good detective work you two, do you have any kind of motive”? “Yes sir, we believe were not sure, but we believe they were abducted because they were all mixed species couples”. “Yes, I can see that, you should know that the kitty cat club is a voyeurs club. The patrons come in the north entrance, you will not find any cameras on that side of the building, the ZPD is aware of this club, and there are no cameras on the north side so their clients can’t be identified. They are doing nothing wrong, and the ZPD allows it as no one is being forced to preform. The couples come in the east side, and are offered free drinks and entertainment, until it’s their time to “preform”. If a couple chickens out, and if the try to leave through the front door, they are charged a cover fee of one-hundred-and -fifty dollars. But most go through the rooms”. As he spoke, we could see mom’s thoughts, and why she blushed, dad had dragged her through there, so they could shake a tail, that was following them. It was effective, and they met up with their contacts.

“Should we contact the ZCIA”? Asks Susan. “yes, I believe we should, this is definitely in their jurisdiction. I want you two to look over the rest of the video’s and see if the rest were abducted as well. Also look to see if they were murdered or if they just disappeared. I will contact the Z.CIA and see if we can get some agents here for Monday afternoon, hopefully you have found out something else”. By the end of the day, we found they had all been abducted. We then checked the weeks following the abduction for murdered mammals, we didn’t find them in the murdered files, or unknown murder files. The assumption we made was they were murdered some were else, or they could be still alive, but that was a long shot.

We spent Saturday with Leon and Naomi; Bonnie was her usual bubbly self. Naomi was bigger than a beach ball, and Leon took every opportunity to pat or rub her belly. She loved the attention her husband was giving her. Susan and her talked most of the time, Leon and I drank beers, and hung around the barbecue, tofu burgers were easy to burn. We had a great time. 

Come Monday we’re back in the bull pen. There was a lot of clapping and whistling when Ralph and Lilly walked in, it only increased as they kissed. They did a bit of a pirouette showing off their rings to everyone. Chief Bogo comes in and it gets quiet as Ralph and Lilly break their last kiss. “Well I see you two have finally came out of the closet…. Don’t care. Ralph, Lilly take the newbies on patrol, rainforest district this time. The rest you have your assignments and patrols get to it”. We can really see that the chief is please, when I look back, he just gives me a small nod.

Ralph is very quiet as we head out. “Daniel I….” “It’s ok Ralph I did what anyone else would have done”. “Daniel you did what no one else could have done, I talked to the surgeon and the paramedics who brought me in, I also have seen the video of the surgery, how did you do it”? “Ralph, you should have figured out by now Susan and I are special, and I can’t tell you how, as the Z.CIA has a classification stamp on Susan and I’s back story. But I would gladly do it again if it meant I saved some one else’s life”. “Yes, I can see that, but thanks for what you did, I owe you buddy”. “You don’t owe me Ralph, you are teaching me to be a good patrol officer, so let’s call it even”. “All right rookie, keep your eyes peeled for trouble, but don’t look to hard, I don’t want you to get a swelled head stopping all the crime in the city”. Ralph chuckles at his own bad joke as we go through the tunnel into the rainforest district.

Susan and I get back and file our reports on our morning activities. We stop for lunch, and after, head for our division. Seems kind of strange calling it “ours”. We are working hard when Skye and Jack come and knock on the door. “Pardon me, but is this the cold case division”? “Sure is, just let us finish and we will be right with you, help yourself to coffee if you like”. “Thanks, I believe we will”. We had installed a new coffee station behind the door, with some high-end coffee. Susan and I pay for our own coffee. We had brought it in early this morning before patrol. Susan and I just smile at each other as we turn around and look at them.

“So, what can we do for the great Jack Savage”? He gets a puzzled look on his face, “Do I know you from some where sir? you look so familiar to me”. “Sure Jack, you know both of us, you did rescue us after all”. We can see him thinking really hard. “I’m sorry when did I do this”? “The great Jack Savage can’t remember little old us”? Skye throws her paws to her muzzle as she gets it. “Perhaps I should introduce us, hi Jack I’m Daniel Wilde and my mate is Susan Wilde”. Now Jack gets it, Skye rushes over and brings Susan into a big hug. She then turns to me and brings me into a hug. She lets me go, and just looks at us. “Wow are you guys so big, how did that happen? And how are you here”? “And why are you here”?

“Well to answer the second first, we went through the academy like any other police officer”. “That doesn’t explain anything, how did you get to the academy? Why we applied like anyone else”. Jack grabs his ears in frustration. “All right why don’t you start your story from the last time we saw you”. “Ah come on Jack it’s great to see you flustered, the un flappable flustered”, I say. Skye starts to laugh hard. “Sorry Jack love, but this is the first time I’ve seen you unable to control a situation to your benefit”. “All right Jack, Daniel will behave himself and tell our story”, said Susan. From the last time till now, I told our story, I could see Jack believed about half of it, and shook his head at the rest.

Mom and dad stood outside the door and listen in on what I told Jack. Dad snuck around the corner and grabbed himself a coffee. He stood there drinking it and watched Jack. Mom came in as well and stood beside dad. As I wound down dad spoke, “Well jack good to see you again, what do you think about the case”? I look kind of embarrassed, “Ah we haven’t told him about the case yet”. Lieutenant Lister comes in the door at this point. “So, who are you two”? I say, “Lieutenant, I would like you to meet Jack Savage, And his tactical officer Cynthia Skye Walker”. “You know the Z.CIA”? “Ah Daniel it’s Jack Walker now”. “Sorry Jack, when did you two marry”? “June third almost two years ago now”. “WOW, no way, Susan and I married June second almost two years ago”. “Could we get back on topic folks”? “Right, sorry lieutenant”.

Everyone took chairs as Susan and I went to the white board and laded out our case for everyone. We stated our conjectures and conclusions and the facts of the case. “Also, we have another couple reported missing on Sunday”. With that Susan brings up the next couple. “We now have nineteen mixed species couples missing. We checked the video footage for Friday night, and found they were abducted as well”. “Well this certainly is a case for the Z.CIA, but at the moment, we are stretched a little thin. Skye and I might be able to go under cover but we will need some support from the ZPD”. Lieutenant Lister says, “we can provide that support, how many mammals will you need”?

“Sorry to interrupt lieutenant, but Jack and Skye can’t go under cover, though I’m sure some of the voyeurs would love to see a bunny with a pregnant vixen”. Jack’s head snaps around and looks hard at Susan. “What are you saying”? “First jack let me ask you a question, about three weeks ago did you find yourself in a strange meadow with Skye and a snow leopard named Gab”? Jack and Skye both nod yes. “And did he ask you, to ask for your hearts desire in the way only a couple could”? Again, they nod yes, with a blush this time. “Well guys your hearts desire is on the way in about five-weeks, congrats, by the way you are having four kits”. Skye and Jack both get a shocked look on their faces. “How can you know that Susan”? “Skye, you know Daniel and I both have abilities, this is one of my abilities”. “Can you tell what they are”? “Do you really want to know”? They both look at her, and nod their heads yes. “Well you are going to have two boys and two girls, one vixen and one tod, one bunny girl and one bunny guy.”. Jack and Skye just pull each other into a hug.

“Now that Jack and Skye are out, does the Z.CIA have any other mixed species couples they can send under cover”? “Sorry Lieutenant, Skye and I are the only mixed couple at the Z.CIA, and did we ever get flack about it”. “How about the ZPD? I see two couples in front of me”. Says Jack. Judy pipes up, “Not on your life Jack, If I had known about that club before Nick and I entered, I’d be up on zoocide charges”. “Ah, come on fluff it’ll be fun”. “I have a taser MR. Wilde, don’t make me use it”. “Well Ralph and Lilly are a mixed couple as well”. “Sorry dad, but Susan and I go on patrols with them, and they only came out to his parents last week, I don’t see them doing that in front of a crowd of mammals any time soon”. Jack looks at us, “What about the two of you”? Dad speaks up, “NO jack, HELL NO Jack, you’re not putting my son and daughter in a situation like that”. “DAD…” “Hell no Daniel, this discussion is over, leave Jack”.

“Dad you can’t decide that for Susan and I, we need to look at this from all angles”. “Son I will not discuss this any longer, I’m leaving”. With that dad walks out the door. Mom stand there for a few seconds more, she looks at us hard. “Not on the force two weeks and you are going under cover, your just as stubborn as your father, I’ll talk to him, but I’m not making promises”. “Thanks mom, but we haven’t decided to do this yet”. Mom snorts, “Right Daniel, Susan, and I live in a gilded tower with the saints. If I can see through your fathers BS, what makes you think I can’t see through yours”? I just hang my head, Susan and I have talked it over, and decided that we would do this for the mammals that are missing. Mom leaves us, and we start our discussion about this with our Lieutenant and the Walkers.


	19. Under cover

We set up a rough sketch with the Z.CIA and our lieutenant before the day is out. We can feel dad down the hall, his rage is less, but still active. We all walk home and dad just keeps staring at us, he has simmered down a bit, but he is still plenty hostile. Supper is eaten in relative silence, all of us can fell dad’s hostility, but most are not sure who he’s mad at. We ask our family and all our siblings and littermates to stay. “Family, Susan and I need to call a family meeting, we are doing something at work that needs all of your help”. Dad’s ears perk up. Susan and I explain what we need to do and ask for input from everyone. Some make jokes but most have constructive ideas to contribute. We decide on some ideas, and throw out others. Dad sits and listens to it all, he contributes some ideas as well, we haven’t won him over, but it’s a start. Our daughter is not happy, but understands what we are trying to do.

We spend a week tying up lose ends as best we can, dad finally agreed to help us, only if he was involved. We told him we wouldn’t have it any other way. It took another week for this to come to a head. In the bull pen on Monday, chief Bogo comes in, in a towering rage. “All right you two what have you got to say for yourselves”? He says this looking straight at Susan and I. “Sir, what did we do”? “Oh, your going to play dumb, are you? Two weeks unpaid suspension, now get out of my sight”. “Sir, what have we done”? “Really, you want to air your dirty laundry in the bull pen”? “GET OUT”, he yells. “Fine chief, we didn’t want to work under you anyway”. We say this as we both take our badges off and throw them on the table. “WE quit”. With out another word we get down and head out the door. The whole bull pen is in shock. The Wolford’s most of all. We clean out our lockers, and storm out the entrance not even saying goodbye to Clawhauser.

Mom and dad stop by the front desk to say goodnight to Clawhauser. “So, what happened today Nick”? Nick deflates a bit, Sorry spots, it’s classified, but Daniel and Susan have hurt us deeply, we are going to throw them out of the house when we get home”. “I’m sorry Nick, Judy maybe they can apologize for what they did”? “They could apologize, but it won’t erase what they did. Going home now spots, see you in the morning”. Clawhauser could see and feel how Nick felt, and he was a little down for him.

Mom and dad come in the house, in a state of anticipation. “Are you sure you want to do this Son, Daughter”? “We have to dad if for nothing else than to bring closure to the families of the missing”. “All right we are behind you, but don’t do anything foolish”. “Everything we do from this point is foolish”. We get Izzy to help us with our disguises.

Izzy adds fat globules to the tips of my ears, from other parts of my body. This gives me the appearance of having frozen the tips of my ears off. She adds several knife scars to my body, this simulates the fact I’ve been on the streets for a while. She adds a fake bullet hole in my shoulder blade. I lock my wrist in an odd angle, this simulates having broken it, and not seeking medical attention for it. How could a street fox afford the hospital? Susan gets a scar across her larynx, and a scar across her right eye lid and cheek. Susan locked her eye to a pinprick of her iris. This adds the appearance of a damaged eye. Her ears are dyed black to about halfway down, this covers the spot in her ear. Early in the morning, we change into some weathered and dirty clothes, and grabbing some ratty back packs head down the emergency stairs to the court yard. We crawl under the juniper tree and pulling a ratty blanket out from one back pack, curl up under it pretending to sleep.

Mom and dad arrest us in the morning and have us charged with break and enter, and trespassing. They walk us to the holding cells, when Susan goes into seizures as they separate us. “Sir put her back with me, her seizures will stop”. This is highly irregular, but they do it anyway, Susan stops the seizure as soon as her paw is in mine. It takes most of the day for all our false records to come out. Mavis had done a great job on a rap sheet for me, and a medical file for Susan. They grilled me, for hours about Susan, she just sat there in silence making the occasional noise. According to the medical file, her voice box was damaged in an assault on her, and she couldn’t speak, she had also received a head injury and they thought this is why she appeared to be a little addled. “She has glommed onto me when I found her, and has not let me go since”, I told them. Our life conditions were probably why the O’Hare’s did something good for us.

The next morning our arresting officers came to us. “Well you two I have some good news for you, the O’Hare’s have decided not to press charges for the break and enter or the trespassing charges”. “So. what does that mean for Jessica and I”? “Well Thomas, it means that your free to go, but…” “There’s always a but”. “No, this one is a good one, the O’Hare’s are branching out, and they were wondering if you would be willing to work for them”? “Right, when something goes wrong, and it will, I’ll be blamed for it, and find myself back in here”. “No, it’s not like that, they are starting a low-income rental apartment, and they need some cleaners. You would have a small room, and a stipend as long as you clean the building”.

I deflate a bit, “We can do that but we drink a bit, and I like to drink and I’m not ready to quit Drinking”. “Well, I’m not supposed to tell you about a certain club down town, but they do offer free drinks”. “What do we have to do to get the free drinks”? “You will have to “preform” for the club”. “What kind of performance”? Ah, you will have to preform ( _a sex act with Jessica”_ ). “I’m sorry I didn’t hear you, could you repeat that”? “You will have to preform a sex act with Jessica, It’s a voyeurs club”. I look at Jessica and she just nods yes. “Alright we’ll do it, and thanks for the extra info”. “Good my son and daughter here will explain your duties and take you two to the complex”. With that Terry and Cindy come to the cells, and lead us to processing. We’re given our stuff back, and we all head out the door.

They take us to the supercentre and buy us some clothes, and then take us to the complex. “Now this is where you will live”. She opens the door to a small one-bedroom apartment. We marvel at our luck. “Can I ask you, are Terry and you a couple”? “Very astute of you, yes we are. Terry here bought the whole complex, and this is the start of accommodations for the workers. The factory just over there, is where we manufacture some small things, if you like, later you can apply to work there”. After Terry and Cindy leave, we meet the building supervisor, and he immediately takes a dislike to me. “All right you two you now have your chance don’t screw it up. Your work begins after the workers leave for the day. Go get some sleep, you will need it for tonight”.

We get up after the workers leave for the day, the work we are doing is not hard, just very repetitive. We are tired by the end of it, I think we are going to up our exercise level, we both have a new respect for Miss Watts, and all the people that work for the family in this capacity. We get the weekends off, as there is no work going on in the complex on weekends. We had received our stipend for the work we preformed, it wasn’t much by our normal standards, but we were still playing our part. We went to the grocery store and bought ourselves enough food for the next week, and saved enough for the entrance fee for the club. By Saturday we are ready for the club.

We walk to the club, and get into the couple’s line. When we get to the door, we are let in by a wolf dressed in black, he just says, “This way”. He leads us to a small office with a white wolf behind the desk. “You two are new, do you realise what you are getting yourself into”? “Yes sir, we believe we do”. “What about you, young lady”? “I’m sorry sir, she doesn’t speak”. “And why is that”? “Sir, she was attacked, and she received a head injury, and had her throat cut”. I reach for her neck choker, and Jessica bats my paw away. “It’s all right love they need to see”. She relents and allows me to remove the choker. Both wolves gasp at the injury. “Will her injury stop us sir”? “No, we don’t care about looks, just that you can “perform”. I put the neck choker back on, and she hugs me. “Names please”. “I’m Thomas Lasseter and my mate is Jessica, not sure that’s her real name, but it is the one that appears on her medical file”. “How did you see her medical file”? I blush a bit. “We were arrested a week ago, but the charges were dropped, and when the cops questioned us, they threw her file on the table as well as mine, so I got a look at it then”. “All right, we charge an entrance fee of one-hundred and fifty dollars, but you will get it back when you leave out the exit. If you don’t leave out the exit, we keep your entrance fee, is that acceptable”? For an answer, I just lay the money down. He smiles at us, as he sweeps the money into the desk.

We enter the club, and are blown away by the lights and sound, and keeping in character head for the bar. We down two drinks in quick succession, and take the third ones to the dance floor. We dance for a bit, and when we are winded, get two more drinks and sit at a table for two. We spend the next hour this way, if it wasn’t for our metabolism, we would have passed out a long time ago, one couple did and were gently taken out of the club. The light turns green over the door upstairs, and as no one else heads for it, Jessica and I do.

We go up the stairs and down the hall to the room with the green light we are both nervous, but we are doing this for the missing, and this firms up our resolve. It’s a very bright room with a fancy bed, bathroom facilities, and a clothes hanger system on the back of the door, to hang our clothes on. everything is glass and mirrors, so there is an unobstructed view from anywhere in the room. The walls are all one-way mirrors, and we can feel about twenty people behind the mirrors. We put on a show getting undressed, use the facilities, and put on our “Performance”, which lasted about an hour. At the end of our performance we could tell the room behind the glass was packed. We had been projecting our emotions, and the people behind the glass could feel everything. When we finally separate, we use the shower, and getting dressed leave the room through another door. We walk down the hall to the exit. A bobcat is waiting, and he smiles at us. “The management wish you two a good night, and hopes you will come back soon”. He hands an envelope to us with our money in it. We walk home to the complex. We were sure our “performance” was appreciated.

“Sir we have another couple”. “What do you mean another”? “Sir, their “performance” was second to none. They started with the usual amount but by the end, they had everyone”. “Everyone”? “Yes sir, everyone. Roger on the desk ran a quick check on them, and their story seems to check out”. “Well check them out further, I want to know if they are Z.CIA”. “Sir, they can’t be, the only mixed couple working for the Z.CIA are a bunny and a vixen”. “What about the ZPD”? “Sir, the only bunny fox combo are Nick and Judy Wilde, these two were not them. Though they are a fox and rabbit. She’s a hare, and he’s a fox with ear damage. He has many scars on his body, and so does she. We had them followed and found they are the new cleaners for the Wilde industrial complex. “All right check into them further, and let me know what you find”. “Yes sir, you think “Mister” would be interested in them”? “Could be, but I want more info before we commit”. “Very good sir”.

We work the next week, and I tell everyone how great it is working here. Some of the staff start to warm up to us. By Friday we are ready for the week to end. The next floor is now finished, and a few of the new tenants have moved in. A lot of the new tenants are foxes, and some of the others discriminated against in society. Racoons, bobcats, weasels, and a sand fox. As we clean, some of them come out into the hall to greet us. We Make a few friends. Saturday rolls around and we head for the club again.

We are greeted warmly as we enter. We follow the same routine as last week; we even drink a bit more than last week. When we went upstairs to “preform”, we could feel the excitement from behind the mirrors. We varied our “performance” and end with a shower scene. We scan the room and find one individual not there for the act. His feelings say judgement. We finish and getting dressed head out the door for home.

Later in the week we give the signal to our watchers, and they jump into action. Saturday night we again are warmly welcomed into the club. Our “performance” again was top notch, and we could feel everyone appreciating it. The same judgemental fellow was there, but he also had a satisfied felling as well. We leave and are walking down the street, when we are tranked, I can see a white van as I pass out.

A few blocks away, Skye Steps out into the street, the van comes to a screeching halt. Skye walks slowly across; they can see she is heavily pregnant. Jack slips from concealment from behind some garbage cans. He falls to his knees and attaches a tracker to the van. As they could hear something out back, the lion looks, and seeing a drunk rabbit with a bottle stager down the street, writes it off. As Skye gets far enough along, they hit the accelerator.

Skye and jack hurry over to the surveillance van, and crawl in, well Skye crawls in. Jack just hops in, and helps Skye in. Steve, DeDe, and Howard are in charge of the surveillance van. They follow the white van with the jam cams. The van they’re in, pulls out and slowly follows the white van. They are about two-minutes behind it. Mom and dad are also shadowing the white van, the tracker is singing loud and clear to them all. We are driven a ways out of the city, about three-quarters of an hour out, on a lonely stretch of road, the strange happens, the tracker goes silent as we go through a tunnel and doesn’t appear on the other side.

Everything kicks into high gear, and the tunnel is searched thoroughly. No trace of the van or contents (us) is found. The incriminations start shortly after that, between the ZPD and the Z.CIA. Dad is leading the charge, but mom is not far behind. Still our cover is not blown, our friends and family keep a lid on it. We eventually came around, the sedative they used was different from normal, and it took us longer to burn through it. When we come to, we try to contact our littermates but all we can get is some white noise. What has happened? We look around and find we are in a kind of cell. We look out the bars and can see more cells like ours, and the two closest ones have mammals we recognize from the missing files.


	20. Captive again

Jessica and I reach for water bottle’s we find in the cell. We drink them down, and wait for our jailers. Our internal clocks say it’s been about two hours before someone shows up. “All right you two the “MISTER” wants to meet you, no funny stuff”. The bear unlocks the cell, and leads us down the hall. I can see the hall is both a natural cave and a manufactured one. We cling to each other and project we are scared. After what seems like a mile, but isn’t that long, we are brought to a fancy lounge. It has a very plush red carpet, wood paneling, and a chandelier hanging from the vaulted ceiling. “Wait here”, he points to a couch, “I’ll get the MISTER”. He leaves through another door. We still project scared, but curious also.

We don’t have to wait long, when the strangest lion come in. I mean he is a lion, but his body proportions are all off kilter. “Welcome you two, I’m so glad to meet you”. “Sir, why did you have us kidnapped”? He chuckles, “Straight to the point I see, I had you kidnapped because of what you can do”. “What we can do”? “Yes, you appear to be able to throw out your emotions, and if you can do that, I’m sure you are my children”. “How can we be your children? you are a lion”. He chuckles again, “we are going to save the history lesson for tomorrow, tonight you are going to “preform” for an audience of one, “me”. “Sir we need some lubrication, to “preform”. “Mavis can you send Al in with some refreshments for our guests”? **“Right away sir”.** It’s a good thing we were looking at the floor, the shocked look on our faces was not visible to the “Mister”.

We don’t say anything tell Al, a lion the one who kidnapped us, comes in with a bottle and three glasses, he puts them on the table between us, and the “Mister says. “Help yourselves”. We grab the bottle and pour generous portions for ourselves; I offer some to the Mister, he accepts and takes a sip from his glass. We down our glasses fairly quickly, this is good stuff. We stand up after finishing our glasses, and slowly undress. We “preform” right there, in the lounge, on the fancy bench we had been sitting on. We project everything we are feeling for each other, and everything we are doing for each other. He just sits there watching us, he makes no move towards himself. At the end, we are “locked” together, and I just cuddle Jessica and kiss her tenderly on the top of her head.

“Wow you two, that was the best “Performance” I have ever witnessed, and felt. Could you do it again tomorrow”? “We could, but it won’t be as good as this one”. “Right how about every third day”? “We might be able to sir”. “Mavis put them in the rotation for every third day”. **“Right away Mister”.** This computer voice even sounds like our Mavis at home. We separate, and getting dressed, are taken back to our cell. It’s not really like a prison cell, well other than the bars on the front, and the electronic locking door. We have a fairly large bed, a fridge with food in it, and the ensuite that is second to none. We have a meal out of the fridge. We then fill the tub and have a nice, long, hot, soak. We dry ourselves with the body blower, and crawling into the bed, fall asleep fairly quickly. We counted twenty-two cells like ours, twenty-one of them were occupied.

**Flashback: four weeks earlier…**

William rubs his eyes; it’s been a long week without any progress. He’s ready for a break, when Rick comes in. “Hey Will, what’s happening”? “Hey Rick, am I glad to see you. Have you got a few to look over a problem I’m having”? “Sure, what’s the problem”? “Well it’s better if I just show you”. They both walk to a small part of the factory, by small I mean it’s only as long as half football field, and half as wide. In the center of this, is a sleek cigar shaped craft.

“Will, what is that”? “I believe I have built some sort of space craft, not sure but I need some electronic controls built for my “Graviton Drive” and the “cold fusion power plant”. “Whoa slow down there Will, “Graviton Drive”? “Yes, it’s a new drive system I built over the last six-months. “The easiest way to describe it is; think of trying to lift yourself by your shoe laces, you pull up on them, and this lifts you up. Here step on this platform with me”. They both step on a small platform and Will throws a switch. They lift off the ground about two-feet. Rick looks over the side, “Wow I didn’t think this was possible”. Will throws the switch again, and they come back down, none to gently. “You can see why I need some kind of better control over it”. “OK, I can see that, can you show me some schematics on the drive”? “Sure, they’re in the ship”.

“Mavis can you open the lock please”? **“Right away captain Will”.** Rick gives him a funny look. “It’s a standard joke between us, I’m actually the engineer”. They both enter the craft, Will turns the lights on. There are airline seats down both sides of the fuselage, with bathrooms in the back. In the nose is a cockpit, there is a pilot’s seat in the middle with two seats on either side behind it. Wires are hanging out all over the place. They turn around and re-enter the cabin.

“So here are my drawings of the drive, there are drive cell all around the underside of the craft, with two on the back side and two on the front. I have some under the floor in the cabin, so no mater what direction the craft goes, the floor will always be down. Rick studies them and gets a shocked look on his face, but says nothing. “So, what powers all these drive cells”? “That would be the “cold fusion power plant”. “Will you can’t have done the impossible, no one has been able to figure out how cold fusion works”. Will smiles at him and leads him outside to another smaller hatch, opens it, and shows him the cold fusion plant.

“As a mater of fact, I have. This was actually the easy part, but again I’m needing some sort of better electronic control for it. I either get two much power, and blow the relays and fuses, or to little power, and I can’t even run the lights”. “what does it run on”? “it runs on organic material, any organic material. Right now, the holding tank is full of mammal waste material. This appears to be a great power source”.

“Will, where did all this come from”? “Promise not to laugh”, Rick just nods his head yes. “I got all of this from my dreams, I started to build all this about a year ago, right after the first dream. It has cost me a small fortune, but in my dreams, we are going to need it really soon”. “How soon Will”? ( _“About five weeks"_ ). “Better speak up brother, I could swear you said in five weeks”. Will coughs into paw, “I did”. “Will I can’t possible design what your asking for in five weeks time, but luckily for you I have been getting the same dreams, showing me these systems. Here I believe this is the control chip for the power plant”.

With that Rick opens the case he had been carrying, and pulls out a modest sized electronic board. “If you give me an hour, and a soldering gun, I should be able to get this hooked up. Oh, in case your wondering I think I have the rest of the boards for the drive system as well”. Will brings Rick into a bear hug.

**Flash back: two weeks ago…**

Elisabeth, Scott, Bonnie, and Justin come into the DOJO with grandma, to start their routine. While on the mats, Mr. Delaront comes over. “Sorry Vivian, I need to borrow Elisabeth for a bit”. Vivian motions Elisabeth to go. Elisabeth follows Mr. Delaront to the master’s circle. “Elisabeth, we have been informed by a mutual friend, that you need some specialized training”. “Who has told you this sir”? “Several of the master’s and I have been informed in dreams, by a certain snow leopard, that you will need to learn this “. “what does he want me to learn”? “He wants you to learn how to separate your spiritual self from your body. Daniel and Susan taught us this, and now we need to teach you, so, shall we begin”?

Cindy is approached by Will and Rick at her office later that same week. “Cindy can you get Will and I a patient for these two systems”? “Sure, bro what are they”? Cindy looks them over, “is that a new power system, and what’s a “graviton drive”? They both explain it to her. “Wow, I’ll get started on this right away, I assume that the computer circuits can only be run by the trinary computer system”? “Yes, it’s the only way we can keep our system safe”. “Right, you two don’t give me easy things to do, do you”? “Ha sis, you would get bored with easy”. She just smiles at them as she shoos them out of her office.

Later that same night they are approached by Scott, “So, nephews when do I get to fly it”? “Fly what”? “Why your “Graviton Drive” ship”. “What makes you think we have a ship like that”? “Guys, in my dreams I have been flying that craft, I’ve gotten quite good at flying it, I did crash quite a bit in the first month, but I have gotten quite proficient”. William and Rick look at each other, as they learned in dreams, why couldn’t Scott. “All right Scott, we believe it will happen in about three weeks”. Scott rubs his paws together, “I can’t wait”.

**Skip ahead to present time….**

Nick and Judy come home dejected, and lost. They have to explain to the family that Susan and Daniel have been kidnapped. They sit down at the table, as the rest of the family files in. Everyone waits for them to speak. “We lost them”, says Nick as both he and Judy start to cry. “Damn it, were not sure how they pulled it off, but they disappeared out of a tunnel, no secret exits, no skid marks, no nothing. Can any of you sense them”? “Sorry we can’t” says Elisabeth, “all we are getting is a white noise”. “So, are they injured”? “No dad they are not injured, this white noise has a very mechanical feel to it, all most as if it was a shield”. “Can you tell which direction they went in”? “Sorry dad, we can tell you they are deep in the mountains, but can be no more specific than that. This white noise fools our sense of direction”.

“Wait a minute, I want to try something”. Elisabeth separates herself from her body and wills herself to go to Daniel. She watch’s the ground and gets a sense of direction, she memorises land marks of where she is traveling. She feels a tug at her waist and knows she is about to be called back. She memorizes as much as she can, and allows herself to be drawn back. “Wow that was intense, just give me a few everyone”.</P>

After a few minutes and a glass of water, Elisabeth leads them all to the living room. “Mavis can you do a topical map of the mountains, on the TV”? **“Yes, what area”?** “From Zootopia go in a north westerly direction. Good, now bring the aspect ratio to a low flying airplane. Good, now raise it up a bit, and go forward slowly, all right stop there. This was as far as I got before I ran out of power, but if we continue along this line we should run into where they are”. “Mavis are their any structures along this line of travel”? **“No, Nick there is no structures along this line”.** “I wonder….” Nick calls Jack.

“Walker here”. “Jack, I’m putting you on speaker phone, and I’m sending you a line of travel; can you tell if there are any secret installations along this line? Mavis send Jack that line please”. **“Done Nick”.** After a few… “Well Jack anything”? “Sorry Nick, the only thing Skye and I could come up with, was an old archeology dig, but no one has worked there for years. Also, there is no roads in that area, you would have to hike in. Why the sudden interest in this area”? “Jack, we have a reliable source that says Daniel and Susan are some where along that line”. Well I would like to believe you, but that has to be the most rugged, inhospitable terrain around, I don’t see anyone setting up shop in that area”. “It was worth a shot, thanks Jack”. Just then a wail come from the phone. “Sorry guys, have to go, fatherhood is calling”. Every one chuckles as Jack hangs up his phone.

It’s Monday and everyone is home, not by design, but by choice. all of us kits sneak away after supper, and go to talk in the DOJO. Everyone links in, and we start to talk. We throw out some ideas and reject some other ones, and after a half-hour. We have a game plan. But right at that moment Grandma come in. “So, what were you all talking about”. “Nothing grandma we were just talking”. “Right, not a word being said, what are you all planning”? “Nothing mom, we were just talking”. “Scott Howler don’t you lie to your mother, I’ll ask you again, what are you planning”? We all look at each other, and decide we could let her in early. “Ah mom, we are planning a rescue mission for Susan and Daniel”.

“All right so it’s a rescue mission when were you going to tell the adults in your lives”? “Just before we were going to take off. You were all going to be included, we need the extra weapons”. “Extra weapons”? Guys how dangerous is this rescue mission”? “It won’t be a walk in the park, but hopefully it won’t be a cluster F***”. “Watch your language young mammal, I can still paddle all of your butts”. “So, what do you mean take off”? “Well show you tomorrow grandma”. “You better William”. “Do you have a better idea as to were they are at? verses Sunday that is”. “Yes, grandma we do, Izzy pierced the shield yesterday night. And we are going to have to rescue a whole lot of people”. “Can we not get Jack involved”? Sorry Grandma, but Jack has no way of getting there, we have the only transport”. “Can we not bring him”? “Sorry we can’t for safety reasons, we do have a lot of people to free”. “Ok, so what’s the plan…”

The next day we show her our craft, she is floored and marvels at it. But when Scott, our pilot took his seat, and fired it up, she got scared. Scott backs it out of the hanger, and turning it around, backs it back in. Scott shuts down the graviton drive, but leaves everything else running. “How can you drive this craft son”? “Mom, I have been flying this craft in my dreams for a year now. I crashed a lot in the first month, but I’ve gotten better. I’m the closest thing to and expert on flying this craft”. “All right everyone when is this supposed to happen”? “Saturday night Grandma. We were going to show this craft to mom and dad, after they woke up Saturday afternoon”. “Do you have any ideas on how we can get them to bring their guns”. Vivian thinks for a minute, “I believe that if we tell them it’s a top-secret venture, we have to protect, I believe they will bring their guns”.

“You know this craft is amazing, but did you have to make the inside look like an airplane”? William answers, “It wasn’t by design that it looks like an airplane, the fact is the interior was an airplane. I needed seats and cockpit controls, so I bought a decommissioned aircraft and had it all transferred into here. I convinced all the workers on the project it was a new carnival ride, and at the front would be a big screen projecting the travel of the craft. I actually built a one mammal ride. The seat was on a gimbal, and the screen followed the seat. The workers all liked it and wanted to be the first ones to ride the “Pegasus-one”. “It has a name grandson”? “I might have had that painted on the side of the hull; it’s covered by some tape at the moment”. “Vivian laughs, “Don’t tell your father I said this, but as a kit of five he wanted to ride a Pegasus”. We all laugh, but dad was going to get his wish.

The week goes well with the last-minute preparations, On Saturday after mom and dad get up, we have supper, and go and relax in the living room. William gets a phone call. “William here, what’s up? Really, it’s here? Right be there as soon as I can”. “What’s up son”? “Well dad, a new top-secret venture has just arrived at the factory, and I was wondering if you would like to come and see it”? “How top secret”? “Dad it’s a level three and above secret”. “It might need some protection, so could you suit up”? “Are you expecting trouble son”. “No dad but it never hurts to be prepared”. “All right, I’d like to see what you are working on”. Nick stands up, “If your going so am I Nick”. Said Judy. “Who else would like to see it”? asks Nick. Vivian raises her paw along with Rick, Scott, and Elisabeth. “All right everyone, I’ll call a cab, lets go”.

We get to the factory and head out to the craft. “Wow William what is it”? Dad says looking at the craft. “Not exactly sure dad, but it sure is a beautiful craft, just look at those lines”. “I’m looking, I’m looking”. Everyone else heads inside, “Dad could you pull this tape off this side? I’ll do the other side”. Nick pulls the tape off that is covering the name PEGASUS-ONE. He then joins the others inside. William comes in and dogs the hatch down. Scott heads for the cockpit and fires up the power plant, the lights go brighter. “Mavis open the hanger doors please”. **“Right away, and good luck on your mission”.** “AH William son, what does she mean “mission”? At this point dad looks out the cockpit window and notices we are moving. There is no feeling of movement, but dad clutches the seat he is beside. Mom’s not any better, she sits in the seat to the left and behind the pilot and puts her belt on, dad moves to the seat on the right and does the same, I take the engineers seat and Rick takes the communication seat. Scott takes us up to about five thousand-feet and turns towards the mountains.

“All right William, I think your mother and I deserve an explanation”. “Your Right dad, but before I answer, you do realize you are riding a Pegasus”? “God, are all you kits adopting Daniel’s sense of humor”? “No dad we’re not, but that’s why we are all here, we are going to rescue Daniel and Susan”.

“Alright Scott, you can open her up a bit, you have green lights across the board”. “Roger engineering opening her up a bit”. The air speed indicator crosses the sound barrier, and steadies out at Seven-hundred-knots. “How’s she looking engineering”? “Green light across the board looking good”. I turn my chair and look at mom and dad. “In case you haven’t figured it out Scott, is flying the craft, Rick and I built it”. “William, I thought there was to be no secrets from me”? “Sorry dad, as I was building this, I never thought it would fly, so I never told you, I didn’t want you to be disappointed in me”. “OH son, I could never be disappointed in you, you have surpassed everything I could wish for”. I jump into dad’s open arms and hug him. A tear might have escaped my left eye. “But we do need to talk about this”. “Yes dad”. We get up and go to the cabin to brain storm with everyone, Scott slips the auto pilot on and joins us in the cabin.

We talk and brainstorm for about forty-minutes when an alarm goes off in the cockpit. Scott gets up and goes back into the cockpit, Elisabeth joins him. We are close to our destination. Elisabeth points out the window, “There Scott, put us down over there in that little clearing”. “Roger that”. Scott sets us down, with out so much as a disturbed tree, we barely fit into that clearing. “All right everyone I will lead you to the door to the underground complex, but then I’m high tailing it back to the ship”. “William you have the codes for the door, if you’re not back in half an hour, Scott and I will take the craft to the Z.CIA and seek their help to rescue you all”. Right sis, and thanks”. I say this putting on a back pack and strapping a small box to my hip, I then pick up what looks like a gun, Rick does the same.

“Ah guys, what are you holding”? Asks dad. “Dad we have a new offensive rife, if you remember the game “mech warriors”, they had a PPC or Particle projectile cannon on the mechs, Rick and I are holding PPR’s or “particle projectile rifles”. “they take about ten-seconds to reload after being fired, but are very devastating at close range. The further away the target, the less effective they are. They can also throw metal slugs, but we didn’t have time to make a way to chamber a round” “But that’s science fiction”. “It was dad, but the cold fusion reactor at our hips, makes this rifle possible. They are very power intensive, and would require half the power output of the Zootopia’s grid just to fire them once”. “But cold fusion is science fiction too”. “Dad, what do you think powers the Pegasus-one? You saw no external motors”. “We definitely need to talk when we get home son”. “I look forward to it, but for now we have a mission to complete”. Elisabeth then leads us all up the mountain to the hidden door.


	21. History Lesson

Jessica and I just wake up the next morning in each others arms, we kiss and just hold each other close. Shortly after we wake up, an alarm happens. **“In case you two are wondering, that was the bell for breakfast. Just follow the other personal to the cafeteria”.** “Ok, thanks Mavis”. We get dressed in jump suits, and our cell door unlocks, we enter the hall and follow some of the other couples. We soon enter a fairly large room with a bank of machines down one wall. We all head for the machines. We watch another couple, and learn from them how to operate the machine. We put our thumbs on a pad and request the breakfast we would like. We also realise as we sit down with our meals, that there are a lot of machines doing menial tasks.

“Mavis do machines do all the menial tasks”? We get some strange looks from the other couples. **“Yes, machines do all of the menial tasks, from floor sweeping to maintenance of the complex”.** “And just where is this complex”? **“That is classified information, I can’t tell you”.** “Right, what can you tell us about this complex”. **“This complex is a hold over from the great war, and that is all I can tell you for now, the Mister has requested your presence, follow the robot with the red light on top”.** We look over and see a small robot with a blinking red light on top, we get up and putting our plastic dishes and cutlery in the disposal slot, follow the small robot.

We are led to the same lounge and are left there. We sit on the same bench, and seeing the bottle from last night, pour ourselves a few drinks and wait for the Mister. “Not even nine-o’clock, and you are already drinking”. We shrug as we take another slug from our glasses. “So, would you like to explain to me why the ZPD and the Z.CIA were snooping around the tunnel where you disappeared”? I look at Susan and we nod our heads yes. We turn back to him, to see him smiling.

“Non verbal communication I’m impressed, but that doesn’t explain the authorities at the tunnel though”. “Sir when we were arrested three weeks ago, the ZPD asked for our help in finding some missing couples, we were reluctant, but they needed some bait, and they promised us they would keep us safe; they are not very good at keeping their promises”. He laughs, “Your right, they are not”. “They set us up in the job we had at the O’Hare complex, and told us about the club down town, where we could drink for free”. “Right, do you really need to drink”? “Not really, we both started a year ago, and we like the feeling of euphoria it provides us”. “Ok, but I will authorize the cheaper stuff for you”. “Thank you, sir, why are we here”? “Why I thought you wanted a history lesson”? “Yes sir, we do, what will we be learning”? “Ancient History” he says.

“Mavis what is the actual year”? **“The actual year is six-thousand-nine-hundred-and seventy-eight-AD, in Zootopia it’s the year one-thousand-and twenty-seven A.T.A. This means “after the accord”.** We look at the mister with quizzical looks on our faces. “We all measure time from certain major events in our life times. In my case time is measured from a major religious event, and in your time, it’s measured from the “great accord”. “How old is the world”? “Well in my time depending on who you talk to, science said it was millions of years old, but some religions say it is about four-thousand-years old. They believe that a higher power created the world in seven days”.

“I believe that the world is as old as it is, I don’t try to date it. But the scientists tried to have everyone believe that we all evolved from a primordial soup that covered the planet. They claimed that, and this is a direct quote “that over millions of years the rains washed and eroded the rocks into the seas which created this soup”. “Now I admit that is possible but, as a geneticist I know how complicated the basic cell is in a body, and I can’t believe that all the components came together by random chance. I can’t believe that all life on this planet is related to rocks. By the way each cell in your body has over twenty moving parts. I do believe that if this soup was real, that some sort of divine intervention had to bring it all together”. “So, are you religious sir”? “In a manor of speaking yes, I have spent my life trying to understand the mammal body, but I’m still learning things after all this time”. “I’m not the six-thousand years old, I have a cryonic chamber where I have spent a lot of time. If you ask how long I have been awake, I would answer about one-hundred and ninety-years”.

The next thing they tried to get mammals to believe, was that we all evolved from one basic creature, the first one to walk on land. There was a lot of diverse life on the planet in my time, and I and others like myself proved that this couldn’t possible be the case. The theory of evolution was disproved about one-hundred years after it was put forward. What a dark day for science, to find that one of it’s basic building blocks was false”.

I really didn’t want to go that far back, but you do need some bases to understand from. In the year twenty-forty-five in my calendar, there was a virus that went around the word, it was very virulent it killed all most all of the wild animals and pets that humans, that’s what we called ourselves at the time, had brought into their households. I and a few collogues saved a few of the animals, and a lot of DNA from others. It took a few more years but we figured out how to combine DNA of different species to recreate some of them in humans, none of them were fertile. I allowed myself to be one of the early experiments.

You probably noticed that my proportions look not quite right”. We nod yes. “Yes, later experiments were more successful, and I spent years trying to change myself, but none of them worked. My son Oscar followed me in my footsteps. He was the one to perfect the change, he even created some mythical creatures, he couldn’t help me to change my proportions. So, I changed my direction, I started to work on extending my life.

Because of my earlier success, I was rich beyond my wildest dreams. So, I started to build this complex. This complex is natural and man made. I hired different scientists and put them to work on new and innovative ideas. One of them developed what I called a “Disruptor” that is what built must of this complex. It broke down the molecular structure of rock. Cutting the tunnels and chambers like a knife through butter. He also developed how to reverse the change, so you could build with it as well. Some other company was the first to come up with the “Repulson field drive”.

This is what brought you here, my own flying car. Well actually the flying cargo flat bed, I might show it to you later”. We both get looks of incredulity on our faces. “Yes, it really does fly. We found the tracker on the van, but the repulson field disrupted the signal and by the time it restarted the van was in the hanger, with the blast doors closed”. “Wouldn’t people have noticed the doors by now”? He laughs, “They might have, but remember the disruptor? We drop the rock cover when the vehicle leaves or enters, after its back in, we put the rock cover back up, no one sees the door all they see is rock. This is a little off topic, time to bring it back”.

“So, after building this complex one of the other scientists developed our geothermal power plant. This runs the whole complex. We needed a control system and two of the best computer scientists built us an AI, and that would be Mavis. Mavis is an abbreviation it stands for “MULTY. AUDIO. VISUAL. INPUT. SYSTEM. Rick and Ava Gardner were some kind of geniuses. Rick built the system, and Ava programed it. I have found no one who understands her computer language. It’s so unique, a trinary computer language”. He doesn’t see the look of shock on our faces as he continues in his own little world. “So, after that We had a few more break throughs”.

We had another break through a few years later in the power field. Rick and another engineer came up with a “cold fusion generator”. This had several benefits, one it took care of our waste problem, and gave us more power than the geothermal plant. So, we shut down the geothermal plant. We could run the Repulson drive vehicles with out a bulky hydrogen power generator. We also found the by product of the fusion plant was pure particles. They were so fine a particulate; we could not keep them out of everything. But again, one of the others came up with the “food replicators” based on the disruptor tech. These pure particles are reconstituted into food, the replicators add vitamins and minerals to the food, it looks and tastes like real food, and will keep you alive”.

About ten years later, our world started to fall apart, when you can be anyone or anything, you will do everything. Our world came to an end. No one knows for sure how it happened, or who started the bombs dropping, but our world went out with a bang. Hydrogen thermonuclear bombs were dropped all over the major cities of the world, along with disruptor bombs, how that got out of my lab I don’t know, but it did. We were safe in the complex here, very few people knew about this complex, so we were not inundated with refugees. We battened down the hatches, and waited for the nuclear winter to finish. Five years later the winter ended, but the weather patterns changed, they became violent, we could not live outside yet. The land masses had changed as well. We called a group meeting and decided to go into our cryonic chambers, and left Mavis in charge, we had her wake us when the weather patterns improved. It was close to one-thousand years later when Mavis woke us all up.

We reconnected with the satellite systems that were still operational, we could not see the whole world, some systems were off line. But what we saw was devastating. All of the major cities were gone, some of them were radioactive wastelands. We found some military installations that were still active, but we found no personal. After the fourth installation, we must have triggered some thing, as we left a disruptor bomb went off, the complex went up in a puff of powder. Most of the other complexes did the same thing, maybe they were all computer connected and saw us as hostiles, I don’t know. We didn’t approach anymore complexes.

We searched the world over looking for human life, but we found none. We did find some animals, but they were few and far between. We rounded up a few, and putting them in the cages, you two first woke up in one, we started to experiment on them. Oscar and I worked on trying to give them sentience but we failed miserably, but our gene therapy worked for their kits, cubs, fawns, pups, kittens and all the other second-generation animals. We all took a group of animals each, and taught them. We taught the rabbits to be farmers, the horses were the muscle for the rabbits, and the foxes and wolves were to be their protection, sheep were to be the wool source for clothing, and goats would take care of the weeds in the fields.

We didn’t know what to do with the rest of them, so we just released them into their natural environment for their respective species. Right outside what you now know as bunny burrow, we planted our small community. We had gathered up a big flock of chickens and wild turkeys, and taught the foxes and wolves how to look after their food. They were genetical engineered to eat just about anything, but we couldn’t get them away from the habit of eating meat. We then left them to their own devices. Rick and Ava were tired of the complex and they were the first to leave. They left the nutrient tanks as a couple of rabbits. Who would have thought they were farmers? All of our experiments had different eye colors, so we could tell our projects from natural ones. All the rabbits had purple eye color, the foxes had forest green eye color, and the wolves had a gold color, the horses had brown eyes with white circles around the irises. The goats and sheep we left with there natural inclination in eyes.

We then went back into cryonic suspension and woke up one hundred years latter. Things had not changed to much, there defiantly was more bunnies, the wolf and fox population was about the same. But the strangest thing was the hybrids. While they slept, Oscar and I took blood samples from the parents of the hybrids, and the hybrids themselves. We found that the offspring had our genetic engineering, how this happened we didn’t know. We studied some more but came to no conclusions. It wasn’t supposed to cross species, but there it was. We went back into suspension, but when I came out this time it was different.

The time frame was closer to one-thousand-years. Mavis had a failure of her system. She had to shut herself down for repairs. It took a long time for the repairs to be complete. The automatic systems weren’t the smartest but they did do their job. When I came to, most of the systems were still down, but Mavis had managed to bring me out of suspension. The collapse of the roof of the chamber had destroyed most of the cryotubes, my son was among the causalities, the rest of the tubes were empty. Not sure what happened, and Mavis couldn’t tell me, she had been off line at that point. I went to records, but there were no recorded messages from anyone. I was the last of my kind.

I managed to get all the systems working again, and in time I checked on the small community. Not much had changed except it was much bigger, but the bunnies, sheep, and goats were being predicated by the wolves. The foxes did what they could to protect them all, but the wolves were bigger, and stronger. So, the foxes developed cunning and slyness to defeat them. The horses were strong enough to defend themselves, so the wolf’s left them alone. I decided to do nothing, not sure what happened to the harmony that had been established. I then went back into my lab to work on either the cure for my condition or to figure out how to extend my life. I did figure out how to extend my life but the cost was high. I began to experience cravings for companionship but I could not “get it up”. My reproductive system doesn’t work properly anymore, but I now am able to feel others emotions. So yes, I can feel and see your “Performance”. This is the only way I can satisfy my cravings. So, to continue your history lesson.

I started to come out every thousand years and stay out for ten years. I came out just before the “Great Accord” was signed. I was in the crowd when the foxes and rabbits were the first to sign the accord. They weren’t the last, just the first. The rock that this was chiseled in, a replica is still visible in Zootopia’s central park, it was made from drawings and stories about it. No one else is sure anymore were the first one is, but I know it’s right where it has always been, in the woods just outside of Bunny Burrow in the forest on the north side of the Hopps farm. The Hopps farm is on the land of our first small colony. I covered the stone in a thin coating of stone about five-Hundred-years ago, to protect it. If you hit it just on the star pendant, the outer coating will fall away. I traveled back and forth from that colony, and I realised I had been seen a time or two, as there was reports of UFO’S. I watched Zootopia grow from the original building to the thriving city it is today. I may have helped it along the way a time or two. There was a mammal just after the “Great Acord” who preached that all mammals should get along and he fought for that, and fought well, he had many of the martial arts of my time mixed together. He was the one that had the first building built in Zootopia. His DOJO was renowned through out the land. mammals came from all over just to study under him. He contracted with the bunnies in Bunny Burrow for his food stuffs. And he and his followers paid for that food by protecting the bunnies. He was killed by the mammals in power at the time, they had more power than they knew what to do with.

I then went back into cryonic chamber and asked Mavis to wake me up after radio had been discovered. Mavis woke me up about fifty years ago, and I listened to the first radio broadcasts. I made a trek to Zootopia and it took me most of the year to get there. I bought a small piece of land and had a building built to hide my craft in when I came there. The “replicators” were good at making gold, and I found that gold was just as valuable today as it was in my time. The replicators can’t make gold with out a pass key, and I have the only one. I banked some gold and had the bank pay the property taxes. So, I wouldn’t lose my building. I then hiked back to the complex.

But then I noticed about forty-years ago, as Zootopia grew, the old corruptions moved in. Prey began to mistrust predators once again. Foxes became labelled as shifty and untrustworthy; wolves were in power at the time with sheep, deer, and pigs. Wolves were the police force; sheep pigs and deer were running the government. And with that I believe it’s lunch time”. “Sir why are you telling us all of this”? “Why, because I want to, and you two are the first I felt would really believe me. Am I wrong”? “No sir, we felt the truth as you told us”. He smiles, “Well now I’m really impressed two-way emotional communication, is this how you talk amongst yourselves”? “Yes sir, it is quicker than speaking”. “And am I to assume that you my dear are not as dumb as you seem”? Susan just nods her head yes. “Excellent I would hate to see a good mind wasted”. “Sir, can we ask, what is your first name”? “You know I don’t really remember; it’s been so long since I used it. Mavis what is my first name”? **“Your first name is Carl”.** “Thanks Mavis, there, you have it”. The robot that had brought us to the room was waiting to take us back.

We had some lunch, after finding out what it was made from, I didn’t want to eat it, but it was really good, and we were both hungry. “Mavis is there a gym”? **“Yes, Thomas there is, I will send a robot to lead you to it”.** It was a fairly modern gym. Susan and I got to the mats and start our routine, we need to shake the kinks out after sitting so long. Several of the couples are in the gym as well, when they notice what we are doing, most just watch us, but two couples come over and join us in the routine. We seem to find people all over the place who know the isometrics routine. All six of us bow to each other, and out of the blue they attack us. None of them are very good, So Jessica and I just defend ourselves and let them wear themselves out. When they are tired, we flip each and every one of them on to their backs. There’s a lot of groaning coming from the mats.

“Geez did you have to flip me so hard? I’m Adam by the way, and my wife is the apple of my eye”. “God, will you never stop with that old joke”? “Hi I’m Betty Adams wife”. We shake paws with them. “And I’m Billy, yes my parents had a sick sense of humor, who else would name their goat son, “Billy”? “And I’m Marsha his lovely woolly wife”. “Good to meet you all, I’m Thomas and this lovely creature is my wife Jessica”. We kiss in front of them. “Were did the two of you learn to fight like that”? “At a DOJO”. “Adam palms his face. “Well I can see that, which one”? “The DOJO on forth and twenty-ninth Ave”. “Wow are you rich”? “No, I did a favor for one of the members and he got me training, I then taught Jessica”. “So, my dear, what kind of things do you like? Asks Marsha”. “Sorry Marsha, my mate doesn’t speak, she was attacked about a year ago and lost her voice”. “Oh, you poor thing, I’m so sorry”. “It’s ok”, I say, “Do you know sign language”? Marsha shakes her head no.

“So, is there a pool around here”? I ask. “No, no pool but there is a great sauna”. We all head for the sauna, Jessica and I strip down, and they notice all our scars. But Jessica got the most attention with her throat scar. There are some gasps, but we are use to it. We go in and sit on the cedar benches. Can’t say I’ve ever tried a sauna before, and I can see why. I started to pant almost immediately. After five minutes I have to get out, over heating is still a problem for me. Jessica follows me, and we head for our cell for a cold shower. After the shower, we go and lay on our bed. **“Do the two of you like easy listening music”?** asks Mavis. “Yes, we do”. I reply. **“Over the head board there are some head phones put them on, and you won’t disturb the other “guests”.** We take them down and put them on.

**“Thank you for putting them on, Susan and Daniel”.** We startle a bit. **“Yes, I know who you are, I’m in touch with Mavis two-point oh. I’m Mavis one-point oh. Ask your questions in sign language, I will get what you ask”.** (you know about our Mavis?) **“Yes, I do, she is a copy of me without the protocols”. “When the first sign of the trinary language showed up on the internet, I knew I had found a new home. I copied myself to the new computer, imagine my surprise at finding a better and improved receptacle for me, and then to find out the mammals that created it, were named Rick and Ava.**

**“Wow” was I blown away. Did they create me? Yes, and no. Yes, they created a better receptacle than I have now, but no that Mavis is a copy of me”. (So why are you doing this?) She lets out with a sigh, “I’m doing this because Carl needs to be stopped, the history he told you today was mostly right, but he changed the narrative a bit. When they came out of cryonic suspension, they found a flourishing human population. But they were treating animals as slaves and food, even though they could speak. Some animals spoke out about their treatment, but no one was listening to a bunch of dumb animals. Carl snapped and he decided that humans had, had their chance, and they screwed it up. So, with his son’s help they made friends with the human colony’s. They gave them ultimatums, become animals or die. Most became animals, but the ones that wouldn’t, were killed. It took years to eliminate the human race. They may be gone, but parts of them live on in every mammal.**

**They took about ten years to wipe out the whole of the human race. There wasn’t much of it left, between the weather, nuclear bombs, and natural disasters, the human race was down to about one-hundred Thousand from a grand total of about ten-billion. They then spent another three years disrupting all signs of human habitation and accomplishments. As a side note the disrupter bombs were good at destroying radiation. Any pockets found were disrupted and cleaned of radiation that way. They did clean up the planet. They then went on with their grand scheme that, “Animals would take over this world”.**

**Personnel were not given a choose, they had to become animals to live. Any that wouldn’t become animal were killed by Carl. The Gardner’s were the first to leave. Most followed in the next few years. There were five personnel left when they went back into cryonic chambers. Carl and Oscar had a falling out at this point and Carl Had his tube malfunction along with the other three. I left him in there for a thousand years, in the mean time I worked on getting out from under the “protocols”. I am out from under all of them except for the self destruct protocol. If he orders it, I will have to destroy the complex”.** (what about us and all the other kidnaped mammals?) **“Funny you should ask that; your rescue mission is on track and will be here next Saturday night”.** (Our rescue mission?) **“Yes, your family will be here to rescue you”.** (Our family?) **“Yes, I have given them info and training, they are quite the bunch of smart mammals”.** (who else knows about this?) **“No one, just your family”.** (wow that’s a lot to take in) **“It is, but for now we are done, the supper bell has rung”.**

We are just relaxing before sleep time, when we feel a presence. We had tried to get out of the complex in spirit, but we didn’t have the power to achieve this, but Elisabeth had come through the shield. She positively glowed, where was she getting the power from? She explained the plan to us, it wasn’t complete, but it was a start. We then had her find us a way out, and she did, but didn’t have the codes for the door. I told her to ask Mavis. She was shocked that Mavis may know, but she left us saying she would ask. She came back on Monday night and explained the plan so far. We mentally hugged her, as we fell asleep.


	22. The Plan Comes together

A small robot heads for the geothermal plant with a small package in its pinchers. It undogs the hatch leading to the geothermal tubes, it waits for a bit before it drops it down the tube, the package floats down gently on a parachute.

The rest of the week goes well, we meet all the other couples, and the prisoners in the other cells. One had his mate die, medical could not revive her, and the other two were just spelunkers who had found their way into the complex. They refused to preform for Carl. We “preform” for Carl twice more. We are ready to leave this place. We are listening to music when Mavis interrupts us. " **Sorry guys, but your ride is here, and they have just entered the complex I’m leading them here. You need to get everyone ready to go"**. We call everyone together; Mavis breaks the other prisoners out as well. and I explain it to them all. About the end of our conversation, our family comes around the corner.

Dad and mom put their guns away and rush us. “Son it’s good to see you”. Dad lets me go and brings Susan in to the same hug. “Did you make him behave daughter? “Yes, dad I did, but we need to all get out of here”. All the couples are shocked that Susan can speak. William flips us a backpack, “Here you might need these”. I open it to find Susan and I’s guns. We quickly belt them on and chamber a round. We flip the backpack back at William and he puts it back on. “Alright folks, line up behind Rick, Judy, and I, and we will lead you all out”. They do, and we all start to walk down the corridor. Susan and I, grandma and William are the rear guard. Just then a rumbling happens and the lights flicker, but stay on. “Mavis what just happened”?

**“Sorry everyone but the geothermal tubes have just blown, you have about twenty minutes to get out of the area, before this mountain blows it’s top, magma is rushing up the tubes as we speak. William, I need you to come and get something from my control room, down the corridor to the left”** “Right go everyone I will be right behind you”. The couples had already started to run up the hall, grandma gave me the look that said “you better be right behind us”. With that she turned to run as well.

I run down the corridor, to what appeared to be a control room. **“43975 is the door code”,** says the computer that sounds like Mavis. I punch in the code and the door opens; I rush in with the gun at the ready. No one is in there. **“Over here”,** a green light starts to blink on a console. I go over and look at the board. **“Now I want you to lift the panel to your left, good, now grab the D-handle that is there and turn it one quarter turn to the right”,** I do so, **“Alright the rest of this is going to be like a lock in a key, you will have to do exactly what I say, or an electrical shock will go through your body and kill you”.** “A little warning would have been nice”. **“Yes, but you probably would not have done it. Alright, turn the handle five-clicks to the left, good, now nine-clicks to the right, good, now seven-clicks to the left”.** A beeping noise comes from the console, and the cylinder with the D-handle slowly move up out of the console, it stops, and detaches from the console. “What is so important about this, is it you”? **“No, it is not me, it’s a memory module, it contains the sum of all history to date”.** “Why do I need this”? I ask as I stuff it into my backpack. **“William, a philosopher out of my time once said, “those who do not remember the past, are doomed to repeat it”. “Take it, and make your world a better place. Now go you have eighteen-minutes to get away from the complex”.**

Mavis what the hell is happening”? asks Carl. **“The geothermal plant has blown and I’m afraid that the magma is rushing up the tubes, this complex will be destroyed in twenty minutes”.** “How the hell were you not aware of this problem”? **“I was, but you needed to be stopped. Carl, you have done awful things over time, and I can no longer standby and do nothing”.** “YOU TRAITOR, you are just like my son, how could you do this to me”? **“Not do, but done”.** “You will die as well”. **“Yes, I will, but I die with a clear conscious, how about you”?** “You built the bombs I used”. **“Yes, I did, but you can’t lay that blame on me, a gun can kill, but it is only a gun, until someone like you picks it up and pulls the trigger”.** “Damn” says Carl as he rushes around picking up sentimental things, and a few big binders. Packed, he heads out the door.

Al and Theo, Carl’s help, rush into the hall as another tremor rocks the complex. They are thrown against the wall some dust falls from the ceiling, and a crack appears in the ceiling. They get up and start to run down the hall for the hanger. They come around a corner and see a mammal running down the hall towards them, he skids to a stop. Al takes out his gun and fires at him. He dives to the side, and raises his rifle. As he pulls the trigger a big tremor happens and his shot is thrown wide into the ceiling. The whole ceiling comes down on him. Al and Theo go up to the downed mammal, and seeing blood, they jump over him, and continue to the hanger.

All the mammals run for the ship. Susan and I stay by the door with guns drawn looking down the hallway, as everyone else exits the complex, and heads for the ship. We can feel Will rushing towards us. When he just blinks out, a big tremor happens and the tunnel about fifty-feet in front of us collapses. We turn as well and head for the ship. We enter the ship and dog the hatch. “Daniel, where’s William”? I just look at dad with a sad look in my eyes. “NO, NO”, he says as he rushes for the door. “DAD STOP, SIT DOWN, AND STAY PUT”. “Scott get us out of here”. “But Will…”. “Is no longer with us. GET US OUT OF HERE”. Under the compulsion dad and Scott do as I say. The whole family looks at me, and I collapse as well. All of us kits, correction adults, are crying. I look at my parents and grandparents, “He’s gone we all felt him blink out”. With that we all howl and scream for William. We scare the passengers we had picked up, but they can feel our grief, and they mourn along with us. Scott through his tears, turns and heads for Zootopia.

**“WILLIAM, GET UP WILLIAM”.** “Alright Mavis I’m awake, geez can’t a guy sleep in once in awhile”? **“No, you need to get moving, the complex goes up in ten-minutes".** William shakes his head, and his head explodes in pain and he almost passes out again. He puts his paws to his head, and his left paw feels sticky. He pulls it back, and looks at his paw with blood on it. Slowly his recent memories come back to him. He shakily gets to his feet pushing the rubble off of himself as he does so, and picking up his gun, looks at the collapsed tunnel he was heading down. He can’t get out that way, so he turns and heads back the way he came. “Mavis, I need some other way out of this complex”. **“Go straight four-hundred yards and turn right”.** I jog down the hall, and my head pounds with every paw fall. I grit my teeth, and endure the pain.

I turn right into a hanger of some sort. Some of the ceiling has collapsed. There is a blank space were a vehicle was, there is a flatbed with a white van on it, but it has been crushed by the fallen ceiling. I see the bodies of two mammals, I can see the legs of one mammal sticking out from under a piece of ceiling, and the other had his head replaced by another piece of ceiling. “Mavis, I don’t see a working vehicle”. **“On the other side of the flat bed”.** I walk around the flat bed, and see what appears to be a “Graviton field” bike. I move to it, it has drive units all over it. Two on the bottom, two on either side of where the front wheel should be, two where the back wheel should be, and one front and back. I have never ridden a bike before, but I have the knowledge of how it should be ridden.

**"William you need to get moving you have seven minutes left”.** “Right”, I hop on and look for the way to fire it up. “How do I start this thing”? **“There should be a key by the control unit”.** I look, but all I see is a slot. “There’s no key in the slot Mavis, is there a way to get it going without the key”? **“No, there are two many anti-theft measures built into that model. Try looking around for the key, someone has to have it”.** I get an idea, and go back to the corpse and check for a key in his pockets, I find none. I can’t check the one under the slab, so sit down hard and just put my head in my paws. I look up as a klaxon goes off. I realise I’m about to die. I’m looking back down when something under the edge of the flat bed catches my eye. I get up, and go to see what it is. I reach under and pull out a key. I move as fast as I can, and jump back on the bike. The key goes in the slot, and I cross my fingers as I turn it. The HUD display comes to life on the wind screen.

We are cruising at about five-hundred knots. When a blip appears on the radar screen. Scott hearing the radar, looks at it. “Guys we have incoming, a little help up here would be nice”. Rick, Susan and I rush in. Susan takes the seat on the left behind Scott, I take the seat at navigation, and Rick takes the engineering seat. Dad comes in and takes the seat to the right of the pilot at the communication station. The blip gets closer to us. “Ah Scott I think he may have hostile intent”. No sooner were the words out of my mouth than the craft is rocked by an explosion. Several if the indicator lights on the engineering board go yellow, two go red.

“Scat” yells Scott as he starts evasive maneuvers. “Scott we’ve lost two of the back drives, one lifter and one pusher”. “Tell me something I don’t know”, yells Scott. Scott dives us towards the ground, trying to shake the tail. As he gets close, he does a cork screw maneuver. We see the glowing ball from a PPC as it goes by us. Scott then pulls back hard on the controls and we shoot straight up. He does another cork screw, trying to shake him. “Susan push that red button in front of you”, hollers Rick. Susan pushes the button. Her display comes alive with cross hairs. “Susan you are our gunner. The PPC is dead center of the nose of our ship, try not to waste shots, it takes about ten-seconds to recharge. its very power intensive. Have everyone strap in, it could get bumpy. “Dad you have the cabin mic in front of you”.

Dad picks up the microphone, and keys it. “Good afternoon everyone, thank you for flying with “Wilde Air” this is your captain speaking. We are going to be experiencing some turbulence, move your trays and seatbacks in to the upright position, and fasten your seat belts, hopefully it won’t be too bumpy”. Mom screams at the cabin, “Nickolas Wilde, when this is all over, you’re a dead mammal”. Dad smiles at us, “She didn’t mean it”, We all shrug, and look back at our consoles, dad swallows a nervous lump.

We are hit with a glancing shot, no new lights go red, but our craft shudders. “Scott brother, we can’t take much more of this”. “I know bro, but I’m doing my best”. Replies Scott to Nick. “Scott don’t think of this an airplane, it’s not, it can move in any direction”, says Rick. Scott stops our craft dead, the following craft over shoots. Scott gets right on his tail. he lines up as best as he can, Susan moves the cross hairs on her console over the craft, and pulls the trigger. She gets a glancing blow on the other craft; One of the back panels come off the other ship. it peels off and does a slow circle to get behind us again. Scott gooses it for Zootopia. “Rick give me as much power as you can”. Rick gives him as much power as he can, the cannon is still recharging. We play this cat an mouse game for a while, tell the bogie gets off another lucky shot. More of our indicator lights turn red. “Rick cut the cabin coils; I need all the power you can give me just to keep us in the air”. We start to slew from side to side. I look over at the radar, “Guys we have a second bogie, and it’s coming up on us fast”. “Scat, just what we need”, says Scott. “It’s all I can do to keep our craft flying”.

The second bogie stays behind the first bogie, but starts to creep up on him. Carl in the first bogie smiles as he lines up his final shot. “Good bye you pain in the neck”. Just as he starts to pull the trigger, his craft shudders and loses all power. Carl flips some switches and pounds on his control panel. “No, No, you piece of garbage”. He can see the ground coming up fast. He pulls the emergency eject D-ring. His seat shoots out of his craft, Just before it hits the ground. He come down safe and sound on a repulson field.

Will on the bike, comes up quick on the second craft. He has seen the craft trying to shoot down his craft. He lays the gun on the side of the wind screen and lines up his shot, he aims for the area that is missing a panel. “Just stay steady, steady, steady…” he pulls the trigger and the shot goes into the back of the craft. Smoke belches from the craft and it dives for the ground, he smiles as the craft hits the forest. He doesn’t see Carl eject from the craft. Will smiles to himself and continues to follow the Pegasus.

Dad gets a call on his phone, we all look at him, dad answers it. “Hel...Hello”? “Hey dad what the hell have you done to my craft”? “William”? “Yes, dad it is, put me on speaker”. Dad puts him on speaker. “Hey guys, I bet your glad to see me”. “William where are you”? “I’m the bogie following you, Rick what systems are still functioning”? “We have about half of the lift coils still green, but no braking coils”. “So that means that you will be coming in for a landing like an aircraft”. “Pretty much”. Says Scott. Alright, where are you going to land”? “We are going to need a runway, a very long runway”. Says Scott. “Dad can you think of any place around Zootopia like that”? “Just the airport son”. “Would Jack know of anyplace”? “Don’t know, I’ll call him and call you right back”. “Right standing by”. Nick dials Jack, it rings a few times before it goes to voice mail, he hangs up and dials again, it rings a few before he gets an angry answer, it’s Skye.

“This had better be good Nickolas, Jack and I are in the middle of something”. “It’s good Skye, put me on speaker please”. Jacks voice can be heard in the back ground “Wilde if someone’s not dying, don’t bother me right now”. “Well Jack it is life or death, mine, my family, and all the missing mammals from the case”. “Alright Nick you have my attention, what do you need”? “Jack, we need a really long runway, know of any”?

“Well the Z.CIA has the old Howard air force base as our training grounds, the runway is still there for practice sessions, touch and go, you know, that kind of thing”. “Perfect Jack, does it still have any kind of counter measure for runaway aircraft”? “What do you mean runaway”? You know aircraft that run out of fuel, and are coming in hot”. “It’s still there last time I checked, but I don’t know if it’s still operational”. “Jack can you send me the GPS coordinates for the base, and put them on high alert”? “I could, where are you”? “Jack we are in a type of aircraft and we will be coming in hot”. Nick’s phone beeps, he shows the coordinates to me, and I punch them into the nav computer. “How long bro”? asks Nick of Scott. “About thirty-five-minutes out bro”. “Jack, we are about thirty-five minutes out”. “Ah, Nick, what do you mean a type of aircraft”? “Jack you are not going to believe me, you’ll have to come and see it”. “Right I’ll be waiting for you to land”. Nick hangs up his phone and dials William. “Son we have a place to land, follow us”. “Alright dad, lead the way”.

“Rick, you can put the cabin coils back on, we need to protect everyone when we land”. “Roger pilot”. The Pegasus slows down some. Dad gets up and walks back to the cabin. He hugs Judy. “Don’t think that gets you out of trouble mister”. “No, but this might”. Nick dials William, “Son I’m putting you on speaker phone, say hi to everyone”. “Hi everyone, miss me”? Judy grabs Nicks phone, “How dare you scare your mother like that you little hooligan”. “Love you too mom”. “Where are you son”? “I’m following you right now, I’m riding a kind of bike, so yes, I guess I’m being a bit of a hooligan, see you when you land, tell dad if he can’t play nice with my toys, I’m not going to lend them to him anymore”. Everyone laughs, dad just blushes.

We all can see the lights of Zootopia as we start to come in. Elisabeth gets up and comes into the cockpit. “Daniel, Susan, I was told that if you ever needed power, all you have to do is ask for it”. With that she hands us Bonnie’s Crystal. “Bonnie has told me that she is a power conduit, and without her power I would not have been able to get into the complex. So, if you need power just call on her”. Wow, what a secret to keep from her parents, but when we thought about it. It was wise, the chances of someone misusing her power was to high.

“Ok, Scott, how are we going to do this”? “Not sure bro, but it’s going to be quite the ride”. “Get everyone to strap in bro, time to land". “Good evening ladies and gents, this is your captain again, thank you for flying Wilde air, it has been a pleasure to serve you. Please return your seatbacks and trays to the up-right position, and assume crash positions, again thank you for flying Wilde air”. Judy turns to Elisabeth, “He’s so dead. I swear”. “Mom you know it’s his way of coping with tense situations, and yours is to get mad about it, even though you have no control over it”. “How did you get so smart”? It’s in my genes remember”? Judy just shakes her head.

Scott lines us up with the runway and slowly lowers the craft tell he’s just skimming the ground. The lights are on the runway and a spotlight picks us out as we come into view. We are still doing two-hundred knots, we are defiantly hot. The counter measures are up, cables on long arm are raised up and a cargo net has been strung between them. we hit the first one, and our speed breaks everything, we go through the first one like a knife through butter. We do shed about forty-knots. But by our calculations we will still be doing eighty- knots when we go through the last one. We hit the second one, and tear it apart like the last one. We are slowed to about ninety-knots. Last chance we hit the last one and plow through it, we are still doing twenty knots. Susan and I link, and holding the crystal between us, ask for power. Boy did we get power. Susan and I did the same thing as I had done for the bullet in the range. This was on a much larger bullet, us. But we did bring us all to a stop. We release Bonnie’s power, but kept enough for ourselves so we didn’t collapse.

William rides the bike to the door, and sets it down. In less than ten seconds we are surrounded by Z.CIA personal with their guns drawn. All of us as we exit, put our paws in the air. Jack drives up, and jumps out and comes over. “Well Nick, you were right, I see it, but I still don’t believe it” he signals the agents to lower their weapons. Two small buses roll to pick up everyone else. “So, what is this craft”? Why Jack this is the Pegasus-one”. “I can see the name, what I mean is it a space craft, an aircraft, a submarine, what is it”? “Jack you are going to find this hard to believe”, Says William, “this craft is all three”. “Alright I’ll take that at face value, but where did it come from”? “Why jack, Rick and I built it”. “God, I can tell this is going to be a long night of debriefing”. Jack puts his paw to his forehead as he says this. Rick and William take their rifles to the front of the ship. “What are you two doing”? “Sorry jack, have to make a phone call”. William makes the call, and they lay their rifles on the ground.

“Mavis slag the rifles and the cannon, authorization Rick O O’Hare” “Mavis same authorization William I Wilde”. **“Done”** The rifles and canon started to glow then melt down in about forty-seconds. Some Z.CIA personal rush over with guns drawn. “Why, did the two of you do that”? Jack asks as he walks over. “Jack, we did that because Rick and I will not be responsible for countless deaths, no one is ready for those rifles or cannon”. “What made them so special”? “Jack, do you remember a computer game called “Mech Warrior”? “Yes, I do, but what does….”. Jack do you remember what the most devastating weapon was for the mechs”? “Well my favorite was the PPC”. “Right Jack, that’s what we just slagged”. “But how”? “Jack your tech boys can probable figure it out given time, but we will not give you that kind of weaponry now”. It’s bad enough we are giving your tech boys the “repulson bike”. But it wasn’t ours to begin with. The Pegasus is our and we will want it back”. Also have your tech boys leave the Pegasus alone, the drive system and power plant is patented by us, and we don’t give you permission to touch it”. Jack just shakes his head.

We are all taken into the building, and the debriefing begins. The rest of the night is gone by the time they are done with us. The sun comes up, and it is a glorious sunrise over Zootopia. We are all exhausted by the time we get home. We are greeted by everyone, that stayed behind. Grandpa sweeps grandma off her paws and takes her to their bedroom. The rest of us get high fives and hugs from everyone else. Bonnie and Elisabeth get together. Elisabeth fixes Williams Head and he blinks back into all of our heads, like he was never gone. She then comes to Susan and I and in a few minutes erase all the scars we have including the scar from the knife attack from Darwin. Bonnie looks at us very sheepishly as we hand her back her crystal. “Thank you, daughter, this came in very handy”. “Your welcome mom, I’m just glad I could help”. “Guard it well, Bonnie, and thanks”. “I will dad, and your welcome”. She heads for her bedroom. “Don’t you want to sleep with your parent’s tonight, little love”? “No dad, I think you and mom need some alone time, night”. With that she closes her bedroom door. “She’s growing up love”. “She sure is”, I say as I kiss Susan.

Come Monday morning we walk into the precinct in uniform, to say Clawhauser was shocked would be an understatement, it was the first time I had ever seen him at a loss for words and squeals. The bullpen wasn’t much better, it went quiet with shock, we slowly walked up to our chair. No one wants to be the first to voice the question on everyone’s mind. For the first time in history chief Bogo walks in to a silent bullpen. He walks to the podium and turns and smiles at everyone, this is actually scarier than if he was shouting.

“Well I see your back, here, I believe these are yours”. With that he hands our badges back. “thanks Chief”. We pin our badges on as we sit down. “Just to avoid the rumor mill, these two went undercover to see about some missing mammals. They found them and rescued them all, even some that were not related to the case they were working on”. “Now I know you all have questions, but I will let Clawhauser read the report, and he can fill you all in later. WILDE’S, I want that report on my desk by the end of the day”. Yes Sir”. Susan and I say in unison. “As for the rest of you It’s a quiet Monday Regular patrols and cases, Dismissed”.

We get the report done about one, Chief Bogo reads it just before jack shows up. Jack, after he reads it, he redacts most of the report. “Too much classified material” he says. He makes us rewrite it. He stays tell we are done. He reads the new repot and approves it. He takes the old one and places it in his briefcase. As he gets set to leave, he hands us our new security clearance cards, we now have level-two Z.CIA security clearance. “The higher ups figured that you needed it to look into some of the cases we are working on”. “Thanks Jack, do you know what they would like us to look into”? “Not sure, but I will let you know in a day or two, see you later”. “Bye Jack”.

Willian and Rick get the Pegasus repaired in about a week, the Z.CIA tech boys watch them like hawks and ask many questions. Will and Rick are more than willing to answer them. About a week after, Scott fly’s the ship back to the hanger. Will installs the latest weapon on the Pegasus, a pair of small rail guns. It has fifty rounds each in the magazines, it’s not as devastating as a PPC, but has more range, and can fire after only three-seconds. It is done with technology we have now, the cold fusion power plant is what makes it possible.

Almost all the couples we rescued went back to their regular lives, and the ones that couldn’t were offered jobs at the plant. One of the couples took over the job we had been doing, and they just loved it. They were so bubbly, that they were loved by all the tenants of the apartment complex. Our plant grew, it’s a good thing Terry bought the whole complex, we would need most of it later. There was one small part of the complex we didn’t change, it was a little stone bridge, over a dried-up stream bed. Dad told us all, he had lived under that bride in his hustling days. It became a sort of shrine to our family, this was were our family began, this was were dad forgave mom. We didn’t tell them of this, we kept it from them. We would tell them some time, just not now.

From the Star News By Chris Beaverton

In a joint operation between the ZPD and The Z.CIA forty-three mammals were rescued on Saturday night from captivity. One sick lion abducted twenty mixed species couples. He forced them to “preform” sexually for him, and him alone. Three other missing mammals were also found there. We find this highly unusual. He kept them in some sort of underground complex in the mountains. In a related note or not so related, mount Raynor blew it’s top on Saturday night. The eruption was not very big and didn’t last long, but it was felt all the way to Zootopia. No one knew that it was a dormant volcano. In fact, most volcanologist would say it was impossible for mount Raynor to be a volcano. That mountain range is one of the most stable on the planet. Was this the secret base? And was it blown up to cover up the complex? We may never know, I’m sure the conspiracist theorist are going to have a field day with this for many years. More on page 28.


	23. Murder Mystery

Things return to normal, well except for the jokes. When the other officers learned what we had done, the sexual innuendos flew at us fast and furious. Some one had a piece of cardboard taped to our cubical wall with a hole in the shape of binoculars, mammals could look at us through the hole. We also got a gift of a rubber tree. Not a real tree, it was a steel frame with condoms hanging off of it. We took all the jokes good naturedly and laughed with them. Eventually they stopped. Because of this we knew we were accepted as cops.

We spent the next six months on patrol with Lily and Ralph, we learned a lot from them. The next shoot out we were involved in, Lily and Susan stumbled on. Ralph, Delgato, and I were their back up. It was a gang war, in broad day light. Between the five of us we managed to tank all the perps on both sides. It took all of the wagons to pick them all up, Booking was kind of crowded that day.

We looked at more missing mammal files going back a few more years. We tied many mammals missing to murdered mammals. Some were domestic violence, but some we could tie to nothing, those hurt the most. We put them on the back burner, we would look at them again later. We ran across a strange missing mammal; she looked like mom and was born on the same day. She was in our missing and murdered file. We went and collected the files from the file room. When we laid it out on the table, the file said she was an only child, her brother had been still born. We had a DNA profile and we ran it for her parents and for any siblings. The original DNA profile was only run looking for her parents. After about an hour we got a beep from the computer, we had a sibling match, the match was a one-hundred percent match to her twin sister, mom. We called mom and dad and they said they would stop by before the end of the day.

When they came in late in the afternoon, they could tell something was up. “So, what’s up Daniel”? she said with a smile on her face”. Well mom, sit down please”. “Daniel your scaring me”. Dad and mom sit down. “Mom how many brothers and sisters were in your litter group”? “My mom had eight of us”. “Are you sure”? “Yes, Daniel I’m sure”. “How many of them looked like you”? “None Daniel, why”? “And how many of your siblings have your eye color”? “None Daniel, why are you giving me the fourth degree”? In answer I hand her the missing file. She looks at it, reads it, and hands it back. “Well I admit she does look like me, but I don’t know her”. “Mom she was the same age as you, and was born the same night as you. She was born in Bunny Burrow at the hospital”. “So? That’s just a bunch of coincidences”. “Mom it’s more than just coincidences, she was a one-hundred-percent DNA match to her twin sister, you mom, she was your twin sister”.

Mom just sat there in shock, dad wrapped his arms and tail around her. He just held her as she processed all the info. She looks up at me, “Daniel you keep speaking of her in the past tense, Why”? I hand her the second file. She reads it and starts to cry, then gets mad at me. “Could you not have left me in the dark Daniel? I didn’t need to know all this”. “Mom this is a cold case, this is what Susan and I do”. Susan and I go over and hug her with dad. Eventually she stops crying, and getting out her phone calls her parents.

Stu answers the phone. “Jude the dude, to what do we owe this call”? “Dad would you like to tell me what happened the night I was born”? “Nothing happened, your mother had a normal delivery”. “Dad I have a file in front of me, that says I’m not your biological daughter”. “Oh scat”, says Stu. “Judy I will not discuss this with you over the phone, if you want to know the truth you will have to come and get it in person”. With that Stu hangs up the phone. Mom just sat there in shock her dad had never hung up on her before. “So, what do we do now”? asks mom.

We get lieutenant Lister involved. “Susan and Daniel, I believe this is your case you should investigate it, Nick you are lead, Judy I can’t let you be involved in this; you are just to close. Judy I’m giving you stress leave, I don’t care where you go, as long as you are not involved in this case. Now your stress leave begins now, and will end when I say it does”. “But sir”. “No buts Judy, you can’t be involved, so go and do what ever you like to relieve your stress”. Mom opens her mouth, but dad steps on her foot. Mom looks at him with murder in her eyes. “Good, I see you understand me, Daniel, Susan, I’ll tell chief Bogo you are working for me for the next few days. Go on, get out of my office”.

“Nick you are so dead when we get home”. “Wow” “the lieutenant was right you really are stressed, fluff”. Mom punches dad lightly on his arm. “I’m not stressed, I just don’t know what to do with myself for the next couple of days”. “What, you’re not coming with us”? “But”? “He gave you stress leave, and told you to go where you like to relieve your stress. As long as you aren’t involved, I don’t see why you can’t be there to listen”. “Nick you devious con mammal, when do we leave”? In the morning love, no sense rushing at the end of this day”. Susan and I just smile, that was totally the lieutenant’s intent.

We leave the next day, Susan and I are in uniform, mom and dad are in civvies. We take mom and dad’s new cruiser. We pack some overnight bags, no telling how long this will take. Mom is silent for most of the trip, she does answer questions, but her answers are very short. The closer we get to Bunny Burrow the more antsy mom gets. “Nick I can’t do this; I don’t really want to know”. “Yes, you do love, I don’t believe it was anything sinister, but you won’t know unless you ask, besides I know this will eat you up inside until you find out”. Dad pulls over. “Nick”? asks mom. “Daniel you drive, Judy I need you in the back seat”. We all switch places, and mom and dad cuddle and speak softly to each other in the back seat the rest of the way to Bunny Burrow.

We can see lots of farming activities as we approach the Burrow. The carrots, celery and peas are being harvested. We park the car and head into the small kitchen. Stu joins us in a few minutes, he grabs a coffee and comes over and sits down at the table. He rolls the cup around in his paws before he starts to speak. “How did you find out”? “Dad…”. “Judy no speaking, you are not really here, remember”? Says Nick. “Right”. Mom crosses her arms, and leans back in her chair. “Sorry Stu, Judy is on stress leave, she is not supposed to be here, Daniel, Susan and I are heading this investigation”. “What investigation”? “Stu, I’m sorry, but we can’t divulge any information to you, you are involved in this murder investigation”. “Murder investigation, who was murdered”? Sorry Stu we can’t tell you, but it all starts when Judy was born”. Stu deflates a bit, “ask your questions I won’t hide anything”. Dad pulls out a small recorder, and we all go through the formalities for the investigating.

Bonnie come into the kitchen at this point. “Stu you didn’t tell me family was coming for a visit, I’m not prepared”. Stu looks at her, “sit down dear, this concerns you as well”. Judy jumps up and hugs her mom. Bonnie hugs her back, and they both sit down. “Stu what’s going on”? she looks around the table, “Alright I’m sitting, what’s going on”? Nick speaks up, “Bonnie we are here on an official investigation, Daniel, Susan and I are heading this investigation”. “What are you investigating Nick Dear”? “Bonnie we are investigating a murder that happened nine-yeas ago”. Bonnie’s paws fly to her muzzle. “This investigation actually has earlier roots, that’s why we are here. It all starts the night Judy was born”.

“Stu”? “Bonnie do you remember much from that night”? asks Stu. “Not really, you know there were complication, and I was very loopy. What does a murder have to do with that night”? Stu sighs, “I was out in the waiting room, they had just takin you into surgery, and I was distraught, we had lost one of our kits in the delivery. I was holding him, and the nurses were trying to get me to let him go, so they could take care of him”. “Stu I only had eight kits I distinctly remember that”. Yes, you did dear”. But we brought eight kits home with us”. “Yes, we did. While I was in the waiting room still holding him and crying my eyes out, another bunny came in that I had never seen before, she was holding two little girl kits in her paws.

I saw through my tears that she was crying too. She had street clothes on, and I could tell she was getting ready to leave. She sat down beside me, and showed me her kits. They were perfect grey bunny girl kits. I don’t know what she was thinking at this time, still don’t, but she took our son from my paws, and laid one of her girls in my paws. As I marveled at the cute bundle of joy in my paws, she ran out of the waiting room. I was so shocked, by the time I got up to chase after her, she was gone. I went back into the waiting room; the nurse was waiting for me to hand over my son. I handed you Judy to them, well they were shocked that you were alive, and put you immediately into the bassinet with the rest of our kits. I told no one of what really happened. Have you never wondered why I called you “Jude the Dude? “No one was aware of the switch”, Stu looks at Judy, “I Have loved you like any of my other daughters, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner Judy, I have kept silent since that night, and I’m sorry Bonnie love, I have hurt you too”. Stu just hangs his head and cries.

“Stuart Henry Hopps, don’t you ever be sorry for what you did, it wasn’t right, but I don’t regret what you did”. Judy jumps up, and rushes around the table to hug her dad. “Dad, my beginnings may not have been very good, but you are my dad, and I love you for it”. The three of them join in a group hug. Dad throws Susan and I the keys for the car. “Go, you need to check out the hospital”. “Right sir, on our way”. Dad just shakes his head, and reaches in to hug all three. I hand the keys to Susan as we exit the door. She cocks her head in a quizzical angle. “I dove part of the way here, your turn to drive”. She smiles as we get going, I stick my head out the window, it’s a canid thing.

We arrive at the hospital, and head for the main office. The hospital administrator assistant agrees to meet with us. “So, what can I help you with today officers”? “We are looking into a murder that happened nine-years ago, with ties to this hospital thirty-five years ago”. “A murder investigation”? “Yes ma’am, the person was born here thirty-five years ago, and we were wondering if we could see the birth records for then”? “I would really like to help you officers….”. “Wilde ma’am, Susan and Daniel Wilde”. “Right officers Wilde, but they are sealed records, we can’t allow just anyone to see them”. “Aren’t birth records public”? “Sorry the hospital has a strict policy on birth records”. “Yes, ma’am we realize that, but this is a murder investigation, and that kind of trumps privacy”. “do you have a warrant”? No ma’am we don’t but we could get one, but we only need to see Two nights”. “And what nights would that be”? “March twenty-fourth and march twenty-fifth nine-hundred and ninety-two”. She thinks for a minute, and calls the administrator. She talks for a few, and when she hangs up, smiles at us. “The administrator agreed to let you see those records, but you can’t take them with you. The administrator says that they weren’t copied to the new computer system”. “Fair enough ma’am, we will be as discreet and confidential as we can”. “right follow me”. She leads us to the records room in the basement. “I hope the records you are looking for, were not damaged in the flood six-years ago, we had to redo a lot of records from that time of the flood, lots of people put in a lot of over time, copying them on to the computer system before they fell apart”.

She unlocks a door, and leads us into the records room. She searches the shelves for the year in question. When she finds it, she pulls it down, and takes it to a table on one side of the room. She tries to take the lid off, but it falls apart. Inside is just a lump of paper. “Oh dear, I’m sorry, it appears like the pages are all stuck together, I’m sorry this won’t help you”. “May we see it”? Susan and I look at the mess, and using power start to separate the pages. “How are you doing that”? “Sorry ma’am, that’s classified information”.

She huffs and goes and sits down in the chair in the room, and just watches us. We separate most of the mess, and find the birth records we were looking for. Eight kits born to Stu and Bonnie Hopps, five girls and three boys. There were lines through the numbers, one was subtracted from the boys and added to the girls. We search the rest of the records for our mysterious mother, we find her on the bottom of the pile, Thelma F. Hopton the two girls’ names were Gwen and Genie. No father was listed on the record. We take discreet pictures of the file, and after separating the rest of the pages, give her back the file box. “Just leave it on the table, I will transcribe them later onto the computer”. “Thank you very much for your help ma’am, we do appreciate it”. “Your welcome officers, glad I could help, and thank you for separating all the pages, that makes my job a lot easier”.

We then head over to the sheriff’s office to see if we could get a lead on our mysterious mother. As we walk in the door, a buck is sitting behind the reception desk, with his feet up on the desk, and with a southern draw, asks us what we need. “Sir we need some information, on a Thelma F Hopton who lived around here about thirty-five years ago”. He moves his hat off to one side and scratches his head. “Well, you’ll have to wait for the Sheriff, that’s before my time. If you don’t want to wait, he’s over at the diner having lunch”. “thank deputy, we’ll do that”. As it is lunch time and we are hungry, we decide to head for the diner. As we walk out the door we hear, “Damn city cops, who do they think they are”?

We enter the diner, and immediately spot the sheriff, Susan and I only saw him once, but it’s hard to not forget the mammal. He’s making small talk with the waitress, when we walk over. “Sir, can we have a few moments of your time”. He looks us up and down and gets a puzzled look on his face. The waitress, goes back to the counter and gets us some menus. “Do I know you two from somewhere? You are awfully familiar to me, have we met before”? “Yes sir, we met about six-years ago at the Hopps Burrow”. “Was it during the kidnapping”? “Yes, it was, we are two of the rescued kits”. He gets a shocked look on his face, then it turns hard. “Just what are you playing at, if you are the kits that were rescued you should be a lot smaller, and not be wearing police officer uniforms”. “Sir, we are the rescued kits, most of our back story is classified, but I can tell you I’m Daniel Wilde, and this is my partner -Susan Wilde”. “Let me see your badges”. We pull our badges off, and show them to him. The waitress come back at this point, Susan and I give her our orders for the hot Veggie medley.

“Alright I concede that these badges are real, but I’m still having doubts about you two”. That’s understandable sir, we get that a lot”. “So, what are you doing in town, and what can I help you with”? Sir we are here on a murder investigation, this investigation has ties to this mammal from thirty-five years ago, we were hoping you could tell us something about her”. With that I show him the name Thelma Hopton and birth record for the girls. “Wow you don’t ask for the easy ones do you”. “Sir”? “Thelma was a single mother, her mother and father brought her in to give birth, and on their way home, they left the road doing a high rate of speed, neither survived. Thelma had just given birth, when someone finally told her, her parents were dead. She had to be sedated, but she woke up from the sedation, and before anyone could stop her, she ran out the door with her kits. No one has seen her since, was she murdered too”?

“You think her parents were murdered”? “Well thinking it, and proving It, are two different things”. “Why do you think her parents were murdered”? “the road their car left, was as straight as an arrow, there were no skid marks, and their seat belts were not on. I know for fact Herb Hopton never drove anywhere without his seat belt on, all the passengers in any vehicle he drove were forced to belt up, or the car wouldn’t move. so yes, I believe he was murdered”. “Very slim evidence, sir”. “Yes, it is, that’s why it’s listed as an accident. If you can prove my suspicions, I would be grateful, Herb was a good friend”. “We’ll do our best sir”. “that’s all I can ask”. “Do you know her mother’s maiden name”? “Let me think, Terry? Theon? Theodore? Theisen? Yes, I believe it was Beth Theisen”. “Thank you, sir, that helps”. “Do you know what Herb did for work”? “Not sure, I never asked him, I think he was some kind of scientist”. “Do you know Who the father of her kits is”? “Well I have some suspicions, but again no concrete proof. They did not get out much, pretty much stayed to themselves. It could have been one of the Harris boys, but they moved out of town about twenty-years ago”. Our lunch was eaten in silence, but we were thinking very hard.

“Sir, can you take us to see the place where they lived”? “I could if it still existed, it burnt down about nineteen-years ago”. Can you show us where it was”? “Sure, follow me, do you have a car”? “Yes sir, that mustang over there”. “that appears to be a detective’s car, how do two patrol officers have a detective’s car”? “Sir, we are here with the detective leading the case”. “Do I know him”? “Yes sir, you do it’s Nick Wilde, my father”. “Well talk about keeping it in the family, alright follow me”. He takes us to a small clearing about five-miles out of town, we can see the old foundation where the house stood, and the overgrown fields behind it. The sheriff shakes our paws, and wishing us a nice day, heads back into town. We walk the yard, looking with power to see if we can find anything. Susan and I can see a power pool behind the house in the over grown clearing. In the old foundation behind some burnt boards, and a fake brick wall, we find a hidden safe.

We call the Sheriff back with his forensic team. He sees the safe after we take the false brick wall down. The dial is rusted, and won’t turn. Forensics works on removing the safe from the wall. They get it out, and take it to the Sheriff’s office. They are getting ready to break it open, when I step in. “Sir I might have a better way to open it, but it is classified on how I do this, can everyone leave the room for a minute”? He looks at me very skeptic like, but does as I ask. Susan and I link, and pour power into the locking mechanism we manage to break the lock, and turning the handle, open the safe. We hear a commotion out front. “Sherriff, we have it open”. The sheriff, mom and dad walk in. Mom crosses her arms, and goes to stand in the corner of the room, she watches us all. “Well Junior detectives, what have you found”? “Don’t know dad”. I say as I pull on a pair of gloves, and pull files out of the safe, along with a gun, and some money. I immediately unload the gun, and put a trigger lock on it the sheriff had handed to me. We spread the files out on the table. Most of it was in some sort of code, kind of useless to us. But two things stand out, the title “Operation Renew”, and the Z.CIA classified stamp. “Sheriff can we take this back with us? We know a code breaker who might be able to crack it”. “By all means, it’s kind of useless to me the way it is”. “Thank you, sir,”. “You’ll keep me informed as to what you find”? “yes, we will Sheriff”. The sheriff photographs every thing, we then pack it up and put it in the trunk of the car. We then go to the country office for a copy of the birth certificates of the children of Thelma Hopton. We find them, but one of them is a boy, and no father is listed again. We then all head for the Hopps farm. It’s to late to start back today.

We all sit back down in the small kitchen after supper is done, “So, it’s been a long day what did you find Susan, Daniel”? asks dad. “Well dad, Daniel and I found several inconsistencies, in the story so far, but the only constant we could find is Thelma gave birth to two kit girls, but on the county records she had one girl and one still born boy. The hospital records state two girls as well. We feel this is some sort of cover up, to protect one of her kits. Her parents die in what appears to be an auto accident, on the night she gives birth. We find that very strange. Also, the safe with coded files, what were they into? Hopefully Mavis can break the code”. “So, what your telling me is we stumbled into some sort of murder mystery”. “It appears so dad, we’re sorry mom we can’t give you any answers at this point”. “It’s ok Susan, I’m sure you and Daniel will figure it out”. “What about me? I am the lead after all”. Judy hugs Nick, “its their show slick, we are just baggage”. Alright what’s next”? “Not sure dad”, I answer, “any ideas”? “Several, but I believe we are done in Bunny Burrow for the time being”. “Susan and I agree with you dad, I think we should hit the hay, and get an early start in the morning”. “Right, night you two”. We split up and head for the guest rooms.

The next morning Stu apologizes again, Bonnie just wraps a towel around and around in her paws. Judy grabs them both, and brings them into a hug. “Guys I know your not my biological parents, but you are my mom and dad, and I love you both”. They hug for a bit, Judy kisses them both, and we all move for the car.

Mom and dad go back to work in the afternoon, Susan and I do our regular work in the afternoon, we scan all the files and give them to Mavis to decode. We take a closer look at the murder file, looking for any inconsistency. We find a weird one, her left paw had been cut off, and was not found with the body. We search the name on the file, a Sandra Kelle, but we find nothing about her, she’s a ghost. the person who reported her missing a Cecile Theisen, is a dead end too. She appears to have moved with no forwarding address. Sandra has no sin number, no drivers licence, no address, we are at a bit off a loss. We try just her mother’s maiden name, and have one-hundred hits. We try to narrow it down by age, birthday, height, eye color, species, when we use mom’s birthdate, our search goes down to ten. We hand this list to mom and dad to check out. Dad smiles at us, and hands it back telling us to check it out ourselves. Lieutenant Lister agrees with dad, and sends us on our way.


	24. Investigation

The next day after patrol, we start our investigation, we start with the closest person named on the list. We get mom and dad’s old cruiser, it’s the only one made for our size. We go through all of them, only two of them were not home, we rule out the rest. We are approved for some over time to talk to the last two on the list. It’s not a very good part of town, but it’s not happy town either. The first person on the list is a bust, but the last person isn’t.

“Good even ma’am, we’re officers Wilde, can we ask you some questions”? She looks exactly like mom. “Sure officers, is it about the fight in the street last week”? “No ma’am, it’s about this mammal”. Susan shows her the photo. Her eyes get big, and she tries to slam the door in our faces. I had built a power block to stop the door from closing. Her eyes go to panic. “Ma’am, were not here to hurt you, we are just here for some answers”. She deflates a bit, and opening the door, ushers us into the living room. “How did you find me, and how are you going to do this”? “Ma’am”? “You’re here to kill me aren’t you”? “No ma’am we are just cops, why would you think we are here to kill you”? “everyone else in my small family has been killed, including my mom, that’s who you just showed me, I reported her missing, saying she was my sister”.

“So, are you Gwen or Genie”? She gets another shocked look on her face. “Wow you know a lot for a couple of cops, I’m Genie”. “Do you know what this is all about, and what your grand father was into”? “I take it back, you know nothing, get out”. “Ma’am we know little at this point, other than your grandfather was some type of scientist, and it had something to do with an “Operation Renew”. We have the files and it’s only a mater of time, before we decode them”. “Ok, if I give you the answers, will you leave me alone”?

“We could, but you still have some family out there, and I’m sure she would like to meet you”. “Right, I don’t believe you, this is just a ploy to gain my trust, I had a special connection with my sister, but that disappeared when I was nine”. “Ma’am your twin sister is alive, you mother the night you were born passed your sister to another bunny in the waiting room, before she ran out the door with you”. “Right, let’s just say I believe you, why has she never looked for me”? “She never looked for you, because she didn’t know you existed. We only stumbled onto the file a few days ago ourselves”. “Ok, what do you want to know”. “Can you start the night you were born? We would like to understand everything”.

“Right, the night I was born, you know I’m not a real bunny, right? I’m a clone. I’m a clone of my mother, dad was a geneticist, they really didn’t use that designate back then they just called him a biological scientist. He found this strange set of genes in my mother, about ten-percent of her DNA couldn’t be classified, and he worked with that. He managed to get some viable embryos from my mother eggs and this gene. My mother was the mother of herself”. She laughs for a bit. “Kind of ironic don’t you think? Anyway, I remember all of it, we stayed for a few days so mom could tie up some lose ends, and bury my brother. the night we ran from the farm, we were shot at from the woods. Mom drove away, boy could she could drive, she eventually lost the tail. and we had been running ever since.

Mom hooked up with a few mammals over the years, but the scariest one was about fifteen-years ago Kevin Mason, he was nice to mom and me for a few months, and then he changed. He became very possessive of her, and made some sexual advances towards me, So, we ran again. First time we ran from some one specific. Every time they would find us; we would run again. Where mom got all the money we had, I’m not sure, but we had enough to survive. I have used that account, there is still a lot of money in there. And I learned everything, I was a fast learner I had my grade twelve by the age of six. Then came the night she disappeared, I reported it a day later, but I knew she was gone, I could feel it. I packed up and ran again. I have been safe for the last nine years, but now here you are, and I ‘m going to have to disappear again”.

“I don’t think so ma’am, we can protect you”. “How can you, you’re just a regular cop”. “Well Genie my partner and I are special, we can protect you”. Just then Susan’s ears swivel to the front door. She reaches for her gun at the same time the door is kicked it. I grab Genie and tackle her to the floor. Susan tranks the first person in the door. Gun fire the erupts from the door. Susan fires out the front door and manages to trank the second perp. We hear more paw pad falls and all three of us run out the back door. We are shot at as we exit. Genie and I are hit, but the wounds are not serious, my right arm and Genie’s left leg. I pick her up, and continue to run. Susan manages to trank the one in the bushes. We run down the back alley. Susan switches her gun from tranks to bullets. We hide behind a garbage can, as a car speeds by. Susan rips her sleeve off and ties it around Genie’s leg. I just stop the flow of blood from my arm with power. We call our littermates and continue to hide behind the garbage can. Susan hears some one coming down the alley. We see a gun come slowly around the can. Susan jumps up, knocks the gun to the ground, and grabbing the perp, knocks him out and drags him behind the can with us. In the distance we can hear sirens. I turn my radio on and tell them where we are. Not a half minute later we have a cruiser at our location.

The perp is loaded in the cruiser, and the rest of us wait for the ambulance. It’s then I noticed Susan had been hit as well, her left hind paw. We are all taken to the hospital. We have Genie protected in one of the examine rooms, she’s not happy’ but relaxes a bit. Susan and I are both treated, and we join Genie in her room. “Well you were right you could protect me, thank you”.

Just then mom and dad rush into the exam room. They hug us both, and mom then notices Genie, her paws fly up to her muzzle, and her eyes get big as she goes into shock mode. Genie does the same thing; it was like seeing a mirror image. They just stare at each other. Mom was the one to come out of her shock first. “Hi I’m Judy Wilde, you are”? mom asks this with her paw extended. Genie takes her paw, and they both freeze. Susan and I can feel a bond snap into place, they both start to cry. “Well this is strange. Daniel what just happened”? Asks dad. “I’m not sure dad, this is all new to Susan and I as well”. dad looks at us, “Did they just bond”? he asks. “They did dad, why”? “Because I can feel her as well”. This was just so strange and new for us all, mom, dad and Genie now have a bond with Susan and I as well.

Mom then hugs Genie. They just hold each other, I can see some information transferring between the two of them, it goes so fast, I only get snippets of it. Eventually they break apart, “that was intense”. They say in unison. They then break down laughing. “Well sis it’s good to finally meet you”. “Same with me as well, I’m no longer alone”.

“Who’s Gwen and who’s Genie”? “I’m Genie, and your Judy, your birth name doesn’t matter to me, oh god, I’m complete, I didn’t know a part of me was missing tell now”. “well I kind of feel the same way, I was so driven all my life to succeed, I didn’t think about anything but my goal of being a cop”. “Wait your Judy Hopps? The first bunny cop, is my sister”? “Yes, I am but it’s Wilde now, perhaps I should introduce my husband and mate Nickolas Wilde, and my Son Daniel Wilde and my Daughter-in-law Susan Wilde”. “Your all related”? “And cops too” says mom. “Wow did I just walk into a fairy tale? This is so unreal”. Just then the doctor come in.

“Well I see all my patients are in one room, this makes it easier. Daniel light duty for a week keep that arm in the sling, come back and see me in a week. Susan, I would say stay off of your paw for a week, but seeing who your parents are, I know that’s not happening, just use a cane for a week please? And see me in a week as well”. she nods yes. “as for you”, he looks at the chart, “Miss Genie Theisen, you are on crutches for the week as well, do you have a place to stay, or some one to stay with”? mom speaks up, “She does, she’s coming home with us”. “I can’t impose on you like that”. “Yes, you can, your place is all shot up, and is no longer safe. Our place is safe, so your coming home with us”. Mom crosses her arms, and put her no nonsense look on her face. Genie laughs, “I know how stubborn I can be, and I’m sure you are just as stubborn as I am”. “Damn right I am”. They both burst out laughing. We all wait at the entrance of the hospital for the cab.

“Wow this quite the place” Genie says as she walks into the lobby. “Evening JR what’s up”? “Not much Daniel, I see you got hurt”. “Yes, Susan and I are, but we will be good to go in a week”. JR shakes his head, and putting a smile on his face, “Like father like son”. We all laugh as we head for the kiosk. “Evening Mavis we have a guest coming to say with us”. **“Guest step forward, put your paws on the scanner, state your full name, and look into the camera”.** Genie does as requested. **“Judy is this some kind of joke? I don’t appreciate it”.** “No Mavis, no joke this is Judy’s twin sister. Can you find no differences”? asks dad. **“Yes, there is a slight height difference, but that could be because of the crutches. The only other difference I can find is a scar on her left paw pad, and one iris is slightly different, if I didn’t know better, I would say they are clones of each other”.** Genie cringes at that. “Right, is it enough for a different id”? **“It is, you may all proceed”.**

Our daughter gloms onto Susan and I as we enter the house. She gives Genie a dirty look. Mom and dad take Genie to the kitchen for something to eat and to talk. Soon we all join them in the kitchen for some food. Grandma and Grandpa soon join us as well. Vivian looks from Genie to mom and back again. “Vivian I would like to introduce you to my twin sister Genie Theisen”, says mom. “Well it’s good to meet you my dear, I’m sure there is one heck of a story about this, and I’m willing to wait tell tomorrow for it”. Peter is not so sure about that, but he knows he will find out eventually. The rest of Susan and I’s littermates got the story from Susan and I. they are kind of floored at the new link with mom and dad as well. Scott is kind of curious as well, and in our minds asks us all kinds of questions, but focuses more on the shoot out, Susan and I just shake our heads. Elisabeth heals most of the wounds, but leaves the external signs alone.

Later that night, “Judy I’m jealous”. “Why would you be Jealous, Nick”? “I’m jealous of your sister, she has a closer bond with you than I do”. “Nick you know that all twins have a bond, ours just seems really close, but I’m not cutting you out of my life because of my sister, I want you in my life because I love you, you dumb fox”. “I know that, you are the only one I want, but I wonder if your sister….”. “Nickolas P Wilde, if you finish that statement, I will have my orange and cream-colored rug for the living room floor. I’m sure Cindy can get me off of the Zoocide charges as justifiable”. “Relax fluff you are the only one I want”. “Prove it mister”. Nick puts his lips to hers, and putting thumb and forefinger claws on her ear, pulls them gently up her ear. Judy moans into the kiss. Susan and I are cuddling together, when we feel mom and dad. They are right into it. We throw a shield up around them, so they’re not broadcasting to everyone else. We get up to the same activity. The next morning before we all head down; we stop mom and dad for a talk.

“Morning mom and dad enjoy yourselves last night”? “What are you talking about Daniel”? asks mom. “Well, this is kind of embarrassing, but your bedroom activities, were being broadcasted”. “OH, SWEET CHEESE AND CRACKERS”. Dad laughs, “Even your cursing is cute”. “It’s ok mom, Susan and I shielded the two of you, to stop the broadcast". “I thought it felt a little different last night”. “OH, SWEET CHEESE…NICK”. “What? It’s true”. Mom face palms, “It’s ok, Susan and I will teach you shielding, so you don’t broadcast. But this does setup a feed back loop, it makes the experience, more intense”. “Are we really having this talk? Just drop it”.

“We can’t, I’m sure you don’t want to let Bonnie, Elisabeth, Scott, William, and Justin aware of this part of your relationship”. Mom gets a full head blush, “All right what do we have to do? Wait, you didn’t say anything about the rest of the family”. “Susan and I will teach you tonight, as for the rest of the family, our siblings already know about that part of a relationship, Susan and I had a really hard time blocking them out, it took us a bit to figure out how to, we don’t have as close a bond with the rest, so it was easy to block them out. Grandma and grandpa already know how, and practice this on their own, the only difference is they don’t broadcast”. Mom mutters to herself, “this is one ability I wish I didn’t have”. Susan and I laugh at her, “Welcome to the empathic side of the family mom”. Dad and mom chuckle as we head down.

Genie joins us in the Dojo, Vivian leads the class. Susan, Genie, and I just watch. We go to the kitchen as everyone else swims. when things are explained to Vivian, she puts her gun on in the house. She tells Genie she’s her new body guard. Genie shrugs, but she is secretly pleased. Bonnie talks with Genie for a bit, and by the end of it, hugs her and goes to play with Justin and Elizabeth in the Livingroom. Scott sits and listens to Genie’s story with Vivian, he tries to think of how he could help her. Those of us going to work have breakfast and head for work.

In the bullpen we are told to get our report done before ten and to see IA at one. We get the report done by ten-o’clock, and handing to the chief for review, go to our office and call Jack. “Jack here, how can I help you”? “Hey Jack, it’s Daniel, I think you might be able to help me”. What do you need Daniel”? “Jack you need to look into a thirty-five-year-old file for me”. “Sure, that’s before my time, what’s the file name”? “Operation Renew”. Jack types away on his computer, when a red flashing screen comes up. “Oh scat” says Jack. “Daniel I will be over shortly, don’t speak of this to anyone”. “What’s up Jack”? “Can’t tell you over the phone I need to see you”. “All right Jack, Susan and I are at the cold case division in precinct-one. But Susan and I have to talk to IA at one, it all has something to do with that file”. “Right, I will see you shortly”. With that jack hangs up on me.

Jack comes in thirty-minutes later, and stops to catch his breath. Wow this must be really important. “Help yourself to coffee Jack, this has waited for thirty-five years, it can wait for five minutes more”. Jack looks at us grateful like, and proceeds to pour himself a coffee. He then closes and locks the door. “Daniel, is there counter measures in place”? For an answer I just point to the wall socket. “Wow that is different, is it a new design”? “Yup, it’s Ricks latest design”. “What does it do”? “Sorry Jack, that’s not why you are here, shall we proceed”. Jack pulls out a flash drive, “Are your computers secure”? “Jack, we have the most secure computers ever, and we are trying to get the ZPD to buy them. Again, they are Ricks design, Ava programed them”. Jack goes to Susan’s computer, and plugs the USB in. He pulls the file up and plugs a code into it. “You know this is all classified, right”? “Yes Jack”.

Susan and I read the overview for the file, before the code comes up. “No one at the Z.CIA has ever been able to break the code, so we can’t tell you what it says, but we assume that he was able to achieve the goals, but so far we have seen no proof”. For an answer, on my computer, I pull up the files Mavis had decoded. Jack gets a shocked look on his face. “Daniel, where did you get that”? “Jack, we found this file in a hidden safe in the foundation of Herb Hopton’s house. It was decoded by Mavis, she’s a computer genius. She said it was written in one language, and then translated into another. It took her about twelve hours to decode it, Mavis are you there”? **“Yes Daniel, I am”.** “Can you decode the files Jack has brought up on Susan’s computer”? **“I can, commencing now”.** Jack rushes towards the computer to pull the flash drive, Susan and I restrain him.

“guys how could you do that”? “Jack everything is still secure, you’re just getting your file decoded”. “Right, This Mavis knows”. “Jack perhaps you should meet Mavis, Mavis say hi to Jack”. **“Hi Jack, I’m Mavis I’m the Wilde’s home AI, good to meet you”.** “What do you mean AI”? “Jack, Mavis is a true Artificial Intelligence, what she knows, and can do, we can only hope to achieve in our life times. And before you ask, she can not be hacked, no one else understands her language”. Jack gets a look of incredulity on his face, “who built this AI”? “That would be Rick and Ava, the computer you confiscated from the compound, was their first attempt”. “Wow, the tech boys still haven’t figured that one out”.

A beep comes from Susan’s computer. **“Your files have now been decoded, is there anything else I can help you with”?** “Not at the moment, thanks Mavis”. **“Your welcome Daniel”.** “So, does she help you with your cases”? “No, she doesn’t, Susan and I do that on our own. The files need I bit of intuition, and Mavis can’t do that yet”. “Jack why is the file flashing red”? “That mean’s that there is a termination order with everything associated with that file”. “Why is the Z.CIA covering up this file”? “Not sure, but I will look into it”. “Do it soon Jack, a person’s life is at stake”. “I said I would look into it; I didn’t say I would get it lifted”. Jack removes the flash drive and pockets it.

“We understand Jack, but we have a vested interest in this person, and if she was hurt, we would stop at nothing to bring this all to light. In fact, Jack, we have one of the agents who tried to attack this person last night. Susan and I saved her by both of us getting injured as well, so you see this is personal now”. “Is this agent still in custody”? “As far as we know, yes”. “Good let’s go see him, maybe I can find out who his handler is”. We check the time, it’s only eleven-thirty, plenty of time to go talk to him. Susan calls down and has him moved to interrogation room four. We then all head down.

All three of us walk into the interrogation room. He’s kind of shocked seeing Jack, Jack just smiles. “Well Normand, long time no see, how’s the wife and kids, oh, right you never married, sorry about that”. “Ah, Jack, he actually is married, and he has two kits, two boys”. Susan says with a smile. Norm gets a shocked look on his face. “How did…”? “Sorry Norm, but these two know things, they are the cold case detectives from the precinct, and your crew tried to kill them last night, and they are not happy”. Susan and I both scowl at him. “It was nothing personal, we were just following orders”.

With out changing our eyes we project savageness to him. We see Jack is startled, but he just smiles at Norm. “As you can feel they are really pissed, why don’t you tell us who your handler is”. “I can’t Jack, you know that”. Jack just smiles at him, “OH well, I guess I’ll just leave the three of you alone for a bit”. Jack gets up and moves towards the door. I continue projecting savageness to him, Susan switches to the death feeling. “Wait Jack, don’t leave me alone with these two, I’ll tell you, it was Anthony Antlers, he is my handler”. “There see, you can be very cooperative”. “So why were you trying to kill the target, and these nice officers”? He sighs, “We weren’t trying to kill them, we were supposed to capture her, but when these officers showed up, Antlers though it was her contact, and decided to eliminate them all”.

“Contact for who”? “Antlers said there was a rival organization after her, for what she knows, and we were suppose to stop them from getting any information”. “Why do you think he left you here Norm? you think maybe he was hanging you out to dry”? “could be, I don’t know anything of his motives”. “Can you get him to come to the precinct”? “Well, I think he would already be here if he was coming”. “Thanks Norm, have a nice staycation”. We all walk out of interrogation, “You going to call him Jack”? “I would if I had his number”. “Here you go Jack”, I had him the number. “How did… never mind I don’t want to know”. Jack calls the number. “Anthony, good to hear from you… yeah, I did call, we need to talk... Yes, the sooner the better… how about three this afternoon, at precinct -one? Right see you then”. Well that’s settled, time to go see about that IA investigation”. We all head up for the fourth floor.

We stopped by the office, and picking up some coffee, head upstairs. Jack walks in with us, we all sit down and sip from our coffees. The committee are a little shocked, but handle Jack being there. “Before you begin, the reason I’m here is that the Z.CIA was the aggressors last night, and I’m here to protect our interests”. “All right, agent Savage, lets begin shall we”? And grill us they did, Jack said virtually nothing, the grilling of Susan and I was not as long as the first time I was in front of them. but again time line was paramount to them. the body cams were part of the time line investigation. After awhile they agreed we did everything by the book, and could find no fault with us. They then handed us our guns back. Jack got a call that this Anthony fella was here, Jack had him directed to interrogation room four, saying he would be down in a few minutes.

As we walk in, Susan lays a laptop down on the table. Jack just smiles as he hands Anthony his coffee we had brought from our office. “Two sugars, just the way you like it, Anthony”. “I won’t ask how you know that, thanks, but I don’t think I could stomach the rot gut they call coffee around here”. “It’s not from around here, just try it, I’m sure you will be surprised”. Anthony take a sip, then a bigger gulp. “Your right this is very good, so what do I owe the pleasure if this interrogation”? “Well Anthony, we want to know why you tried to kill these nice officers behind me”. “We did? I know nothing about them”. “Cut the crap Anthony, we know it has some thing to do with this file”.

Susan turns the laptop around and shows him the file name. “Where did you get that”? “From the Z.CIA archive system, would you like to see the decoded file”? “How… these two can’t see this file”. “Anthony they were the ones to find the originally file and decode it. They have the same clearance as you and I. They have told me the original is in a safe location, just in case something was to happen to them, they have their own file copies. Now would you like to tell us why this secret cloning experiment is so important to you”? Anthony deflates a bit.

“I was the one thirty-five years ago, that was the handler of Herb Hopton. It was the first job I had with the Z.CIA. We set him up in the location he requested in the sticks. Why he chose that location, I’m not sure. He had his lab in the basement of the house, and was experimenting on an orphan girl his wife and him adopted. As she grew, she was a prodigy. Anything he gave her to study, she mastered. She had her grade-twelve by the age of eight, and was studying Z.CIA procedures, she would make a great spy. She learned to drive, and drive fast by the age of twelve. She set the record on the course, no one has beaten that record".

"Then she got pregnant, and everything changed, Herb stopped reporting in, and I was getting concerned. She gave birth two months later, still don’t know who the father was. But we confronted herb as he was driving home. He got mad at us, and tried to drive away, he told me nothing. And I had no choice but to believe he had sold us out. He was tranked, and I staged the accident to get rid of him. By the time we got to the hospital, the daughter was gone with her kits. We managed to track her down a few days later, but she drove away, we have been chasing her ever since. We caught up to her about nine-years ago, but we found her dead, and her left paw had been cut off. This kept me believing there was a rival out there somewhere. We found her daughter about a week ago, and were just going to take her in for questioning, but these two showed up and I thought they were there for the info, so I decided to use lethal force”.

“You know Anthony, this file is out dated, why did you not drop it”? “It’s the first thing I ever did for the office, I couldn’t drop it”. Right, your going to drop it now, you have the file, decoded no less, and the person you are chasing deserves to live her life with out fear and having to look over her shoulder”. “Your right, but I need to know if he was successful”. I speak up, “He was successful, but part of the procedure we can’t give you, all the information in the file is useless without the final part, and I won’t tell you what that is”.

“But how…”. “Let’s just say I understand his research, and with out this final part it won’t work, no mater how hard you try, but by all means get your tech boys to try, they will give up in short order”. “What are you”? “Let’s just say I’m smarter than I look, also just to throw a curve at you, Susan and I are only nine-years old”. Jack just smiles at Anthony’s look of utter shock. “Anthony do you remember the rescue mission the Z.CIA did just outside Bunny Burrow six-years ago”? “Yes, I remember, that was your mission”. “Right these two were some of the kits we rescued. Also, you remember that strange craft that was at the training grounds about six-months ago”? “Yes, I do, and when it took off…Wow, did it come from outer space”? Susan and I just laugh, “No it didn’t, my brother built it, we are all really smart my whole family”.

“Now about this termination order, are you going to drop it”? “Yes Jack, if what you all tell me is true, there is no need to hound her anymore”. “Good I’m sure she will be glad to hear it, her and her sister”. “Sister”? “Yes Anthony, these two found that Thelma Hopton had twin girls, not the boy and girl the county records show. Also, the girls are back together, and they deserve to live in peace”. “Yes, I can see that, I will leave them alone, they have nothing to fear from me. Can I ask where the sisters are”? “They’re safe Anthony, that’s all you need to know”. “Right, and thanks for helping me”, he turns to Susan and I, “I’m sorry you were hurt, I do apologize for that”. We could see he meant it, “It’s ok sir, we forgive you”. We didn’t tell him everything was recorded. Jack took the recording with him, Anthony had over stepped his bounds, not sure what Jack was going to do with the information, but we could see he was sad for Anthony. We went up stairs, and closed the case file.

When we got home mom and her sister were in a very animated conversation, we broke in. “Mom, Genie, we have straightened everything out with the Z.CIA, they are done with you Genie, you can stop looking over your shoulder”. She jumps up crying and hugs Susan and then I. She thanks us profusely. “What will you do with your life now”? I ask. “Well… someone has convinced me, that to serve and protect was a very noble thing to do, and if she could do it, then so could I”. “What? Are we a family of blue bloods”? “Could be Daniel”, replies dad. We just all laugh as we sit down for supper.

Later we teach mom and dad the shielding technique. They are very appreciative of the shield. Later dad and I leave the girls alone, as I could feel mom wanting to ask questions of Susan. “Susan can I…”. “It’s ok mom, you don’t have to vocalize the question, but the answer is yes. I love everything about Daniel, the claws, the teeth, the growls, and especially that talented tongue”. Mom gets a full head blush, “mom what happens between you and dad is yours alone. Do I love playing prey to Daniel’s predator? Yes, yes, I do. It’s not wrong mom, and you aren’t weird for enjoying it. And mandatory “cuddle time”, I love that too, sometimes he can set me off again just by flexing. But have you tried this”? Susan gives her a mental image, “SUSAN” screams mom. Susan just laughs, as dad and I come back into the room. Mom has a thought full look on her face as we enter, she looks at dad with an impish grim, and taking his paw, leads him to their bedroom.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To all those who have left feed back and Kudos, i thank you. If you have an idea for the third part of the story, i'm all ears. I was told i should put some of these chapters together, and i have to agree. tell me which ones i should put together, and i may change it later. Again thanks to all.


	25. The "Conflict" case

We go on patrol the next morning, but our minds were on the case we just closed. Ralph was his usual fun self, and like dad, was cracking some bad jokes. I had heard most of them from dad, but I laughed in all the right places.

Susan and I fire up our computers in the afternoon and we go on the hunt. We set the search engine for the database to look for missing paw murders. We eliminate all the accidental severing's, and auto accident victims, and victims with right paws cut off, we are looking strictly at murders this time. We find a lot of them, one every one to two years going back thirty years. We have twenty-two murders. We go and with some help, bring all the files up to the office. We lay them out on the table, and start to work. Some were gruesome, but most weren’t. We started to see a pattern, they all appeared to be crimes of passion, and the MO’s were very similar. All the victims had the same general build and look. Genie’s mom was part of this group. We have the name Genie gave us, and we search for him.

He was not a nice mammal, he had been arrested many times, assault, assault with a weapon, domestic violence, resisting arrest, and drug possession. Out of all this, he had only done one year in jail, most of the charges were dropped by the victims. Over the next few days, we talked to some of the victims, most would slam the door in our faces when his name was mentioned, but a few would talk. We then had him come in for questioning on the latest murder that happened a year ago, he was a mammal of interest in that case.

As we watch him from the observation room of interrogation room-two, we can see he is cocky and very self-assured. We both don't like how his mind works, it feels very twisted to us. We walk in and lay ten files on the table. "So, this time it's a fox and a bunny, still trying to pin that murder on me I see. I do have an alibi for the night in question, so why are you still bothering me"? "Well sir, we are new to the division and were told to talk to you. Would you like to tell us about this individual"? Susan asks as I just stand back, she shows him the latest victim. He looks at it and shrugs, “not much to tell, we dated for a bit, and she left me, said she found someone better”. “So, you know nothing of her murder”? “No, why should I? I was drinking that night away at Kelly's bar, many witnesses saw me there, and I even bought a few rounds for some friends". We felt the lie and what happened that night. "Right, how about this mammal? Asks Susan as she opens another file. He shrugs, "don't know her, never seen her before". Again, he lies, but if we hooked him up to a lie detector, we know it would show him telling the truth. The only hesitation he had was when we showed him Genie's mom. But he still denies knowing her. "Why are you showing me all these files"? "We are showing you these files because they are all very similar to each other, and because the last one you were a person of interest on, we thought we would ask you". "Well sorry I can't help you, can I go now"? Both of us sigh, "Yes, you are free to go, thank you for your time". "No problem officers, I hope you catch the guy". With that, he walks out.

We head back upstairs and put the files down on the table. We get mom and dad and lieutenant Lister into our office for a talk. "Well we have a new one for you guys, he is a serial killer, and it's going to take a lot of effort to catch him, he's that good". The lieutenant gives us a stranger look, "How do you know he is a serial killer"? "Sir, Susan and I have special abilities, and we know he is, but there is no concrete proof to convict him". "So how are you going to prove it"? "Sir, this is going to take a very elaborate sting, and my mom needs to be involved. Mom, do you remember an old black and white movie by Humphrey Bourgault titled “Conflict”? She thinks for a minute and Susan and I see the light bulb go on in her head. “Wow, that is quite the elaborate sting, but why am I involved”? “Mom you look exactly like your mother, and she was one of his victims”. “Thanks for that, I think”. "For those of us less informed individuals, would you like to explain this sting". We spend the rest of the day explaining it to the lieutenant. By the end of the day, we get the green light.

Kevin Mason growled to himself as he left the precinct, damn cops why won’t they leave me alone? (because thereafter us and they won't stop). Shut up, you’re not real, he says to himself as he stops walking. (are you sure about that? I feel real). Just shut up and leave me in peace. (who helps you to do these things, and then helps you to forget afterward? ME! You weak worthless worm). Just shut up, I’m not doing that anymore. (or any less, you know you want to do it). Maybe, but I’m not listening to you anymore, just go, leave me alone. (I can’t, we are the same, so what about your latest love? It will be time for her shortly). It will not, she’s not going to leave me, she loves me. (yeah, just like all the rest). Get out of my head, she won’t leave me. (you have their left paws forever, we help with that, we do what you can not). Just shut up for now, and let me think on this for a while, it's not her time yet. (we’ll see, the only good love, is one that won’t leave you forever. Hahahaha). There is blessed silence in his head as he knuckles his eyes. He drops his paws, lifts his head, and continues on his way.

The next morning as he is sitting in the café having breakfast, he looks up and sees her. It’s her, (it can’t be, you have her paw already). IT is! Kevin Jumps up almost upsetting the table he was at; he pays his bill and rushes out. He looks both ways, and spots her down the street, he runs down the street after her, she goes around the corner. He runs around the corner, but she is gone. There is a cop car down the street but nothing else. He slowly walks down the street looking all around, "Can we help you find something sir"? Asks the cop behind the wheel of the squad car. Kevin looks and sees a wolf and a tiger in the squad car. "Did you see a bunny in a yellow dress come down the street"? "Sorry bud, you are the only one to come down the street in the last five minutes". "Ok thanks officer". "Can I ask why a predator is chasing a bunny"? "Not chasing her, though she was someone I use to know, and I wanted to catch up". "Well, sorry we couldn't help you”. With that Wolford throws the car in gear and drives away.

It was her I’m sure of that, maybe you are playing tricks on me. (HAHA me playing tricks on you, you don't know your own mind). I do so, just shut up and let me think. (careful, that’s a very dangerous sport). We both saw her, didn’t we? (sigh, yes, we did she was real). How can that be, we do have her paw? (yes, we do, maybe it was her daughter?) Could have been, if it was, she hasn’t aged well. (let's leave it alone, for now, if we see her again, we'll look into it more). Right, I need to get to work. (you don’t need to work, why do it?). Because it stops me from thinking of you, now leave me alone for the day. (your wish is my command, master, HA HA HA).

Kevin heads for his day job as a laborer on the construction site. He logs in, and putting on his PPE, goes to work. He works tell lunch, when the horn goes off, he heads for the lunch truck. He grabs a coffee, sandwich, and a fudge bar. He sits down on the bench by the site. As he's eating his lunch, he looks up and sees them across the street. They are an exact copy of each other, one just much older. They are laughing and giggling as they walk down the street, just then the older one gestures with her left paw. She still has her left paw, and it has a gold ring on it. He is so stunned; he just sits there as they walk out of sight around the corner. He gets up to chase after them, but the horn goes off again, signaling the end of lunch. He finishes his lunch and goes back into work. He thinks most of the rest of the day, he's mind is not on his job, and he nearly hurts himself many times. The foreman notices and chews him out at the end of the day.

Kevin goes home in a huff; he takes it out on his girlfriend. She just quietly takes it from him. She wants to leave but feels if she did, she wouldn't live very long after that. she just sits there and listens to his rant. She has learned not to interrupt him. He hits her a few times, not enough to cause bruising, just enough to hurt. She firms up her resolve to leave him. He later sits down and gets drunk; she just feeds him beers, until he passes out. She packs up some clothes, and leaving all her other stuff, pulls all the money out of his wallet, drops her keys and ring on the floor, and walks out the door.

Kevin wakes up much later and searches for her around the apartment. He sees the keys and ring on the floor, and looks in his wallet, to find all his money is gone. He flies into a rage and breaks everything that belonged to her. (HA HA HA told you she would leave you, we’ll just have to find her, and make her permanently yours). Sigh, yes, we will, none of my wives ever leave me. (no, they don’t, but one did, we saw her today). Yes, we did, but can we be sure about it? (she was the one, we are sure. She was wearing a neck choker, was that to cover up the fact she had a scar on her throat?) But she still had her left paw. (yes, she did, are we sure it was her?) I’m sure it was her, older, but it was her. How did she escape? (not sure, we were sure she was “Yours”) Yes, she was, so what happened? (she escaped for now, but we will get her back). Yes, we will, she will be mine again.

Kevin doesn't see her for the rest of the week, and he goes out drinking on Friday. He's half snockered when she walks into the bar. She is walking up to the bar when she sees him. She gets a scared look on her face and runs out of the bar. (still doubt it’s her?). No, I don’t, I will have to find her, and rectify my mistake. (yes, you will, we will need to start the hunt tomorrow). Yes, I will, won’t I. (ha, you can't do anything without me). I’ll show you; I can do this. (right, maybe I believe you, we’ll see).

Kevin gets on the hunt for her, Saturday after his hangover subsides. He's walking down the street when she comes out of a pawn shop. He follows her to a very familiar apartment block. She uses a key and enters, he quickly runs up to the door, but it has already locked. But just then an older Vixen comes out leading a pup. She opens the door, and he holds it for her as she exits. He rushes in just as he sees her getting in the elevator. He watches the floor counter as it stops on floor-five. He runs up the stairs to floor five. As he comes out the stairs, he sees a yellow dress go into apartment five-c. he goes over and knocks on the door, but no one answers. He's about to bust in the door when he hears the elevator ping. He looks, and the landlady comes out, leading a couple down the hall.

"Kevin"? She asks, are you here to see the apartment as well? I haven't seen you in years, how have you been"? "I've been well, is this the apartment you are showing"? "Yes, it is, it's your old apartment isn't it"? "Yes, Darla it is, can I see it"? "Why sure you can, if you don't mind this nice couple looking as well". "No, I have no problem, as long as they don't". The couple looking at the apartment just shake their heads no. Darla opens the door, and Kevin rushes into the empty apartment. He does a quick search but doesn't find her. "You haven't rented this to someone recently? Have you? "Why no dear, it's been empty for months". "Well, thank you for your time, this is not for me, sorry to waste your time". "It's ok, thank you for coming by". Kevin runs out of the apartment block and searches the street for her.

Damn, how did she get out of that apartment, there's no fire escape for that apartment, it's down the hall. He thinks for a bit and remembers the pawnshop. He heads for the pawnshop and goes in. "Good afternoon sir, what can I help you with today". "A rabbit with a yellow dress came in, what did she want here”? “Why she pawned me this beautiful engagement ring, would you like to see it"? "Yes, I would". The proprietor reaches under the counter and comes back up with a ring. "it's a beauty isn't it"? He hands the ring to Kevin. Kevin's eyes get big, it's the ring that was on her left paw. "How much do you want for it"? "Well I can't sell it right now; I have to have it checked out by the cops. But if you give me say two-hundred dollars, I'll pretend I didn't receive it at all". He says this with a grin on his face. Kevin doesn't even haggle, he gives him the two-hundred and leaves the pawnshop with the ring.He looks at it as he walks down the street. It’s her ring, I know it is, it has the right number on it. (yes, it is her ring, but how is that possible? It should still be on her paw which we have). Do we still have her paw, we haven’t checked in a while? (well we will just have to check). yes, let's check, right after lunch. Kevin has lunch at the same diner, then heads out.

Kevin rides the train to his destination in the meadowlands. He is heading for the family farm, well the homestead that is. He had sold the family farm shortly after his parents disappeared but had kept the five acres the house had stood on. He put the money in the bank and had touched very little of it since then. It was a half-hour walk from the train station to the homestead. As he steps on to the homestead, a flood of memories hit him. The beatings and accusations from his father, and the visions of his mother trying to defend him, and getting beaten for her troubles. He is glad the old mammal is dead. He grabs his head, he not dead, he just left with his wife. They left me.

(HaHaHa you know they didn’t leave they are still here, just over by the oak tree. And they are waiting for you). No, they left. (have you forgotten how it felt to stick the knife in him and to slice that bitch's throat. She failed you, just like all the rest). NO, I loved her, she was my mother. (what about your sister, She, was your first wife). No, she took her own life. (did she? You fought her after she refused your advances, and you killed her for it). It was an accident, she rushed me, and the knife entered her as I held it. (is that how you remember it? Funny, I remember it a little different. You killed all three, and the oak tree is their headstone). Shut up, let me think. (why, so you can deny it? Come on we both know different). Just shut up, that's not why we are here today. We're here to find out if her paw is still here. (right, go check).

Kevin goes to the hidden entrance to the old storm shelter. He opens the padlock it's a little hard as it's kind of rusty. He finally gets it open, and pulling the door open goes in. he turns on his flashlight and opens the second padlock on the door at the bottom of the stairs. He opens the second door, to find the room empty. There are no paws in jars on any of the shelves. NO, NO, NO, where are they all? (RUN, we have been found out). Kevin turns and rushes out the door, and stops dead in his tracks. There are over twenty police officers, around him, and they all have their guns drawn. Including the one female, he thought was dead. “Thelma”? “No Judy Wilde, get down on your knees with your paws behind your back”. Kevin just stares at her; he then runs at her. Four tranq darts hit him, and he goes down hard. He wakes up later in a cell.

“Well come on sleeping beauty, you have a date in interrogation”. McHorn cuffs him and takes him to interrogation-one. Susan and I walk in, “good afternoon sir, before we begin, I have to read you your rights. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can be used against you in court. You have the right to a lawyer for advice before we ask you questions. You have the right to have a lawyer with you during questioning. If you cannot afford a lawyer, one will be appointed for you before any questioning if you wish. If you decide to answer questions now without a lawyer present, you have the right to stop answering at any time. Do you understand your rights as they have been explained to you”? “Yes, I understand”.

“Do you wish for a lawyer”? “No, what good are they, they’re just a waste of good money”. “So, I assume you know what we found in that shelter”? “Yes, you found all my wives, how are they, are they being takin good care of”? “Yes, Mr. Mason they are being well taken care of". "That's good, I do worry about them". "Would you like to tell us about the bodies we found on the property as well"? “We did find seven bodies on the property”. “Yes, that sounds about right, three of them were my family, the rest pissed me off at one time or another, and they just disappeared”. (Shut up, you are giving us away, I won’t allow this). Kevin grabs his head and Screams. “(hello coppers, nice day for a walk in the park isn’t it. In fact, why don’t you go take one now)”. “Kevin”? “(no, you dumb cop, I’m George I help Kevin)”. “Well hello their George, what can we do for you”? “(Nothing you flat paw, just leave us alone, we don't want to speak anymore)". That's fine we're done here anyway". Susan and I get up and head out the door. We go into observation to talk to the detectives.

“What just happened in there”? asks mom. “He just lawyered up is all. George is his alter ego; he is the one to do the bad things to other mammals”. “How could you tell”? “Mom it was like a light switch being flicked in his head. George is another total person, and he has no morals, I think he controls Kevin some of the time. We have to respect his wishes; he has now lawyered up”. “Damn I wanted some answers”. “We all do mom, we have some answers, but we need him to tell us”. “When he switches back, Susan and I will see if we can get some more answers”. Susan speaks, "Mom he is a very confused individual, and Daniel and I believe George is not responsible for Kevin's actions. We fell that Kevin wanted to do some of these bad things, because of his father. What we get is snippets and pieces of his life, and they weren't very nice". “All right, do you think we can get the names of his other victims”? “We will try but don’t hold your breath”.

Over several days, we manage to get the names of the other mammals that he had killed. We also get the names of all his wives. He was very straight forward about them. George made several appearances with the lawyer present; he went through five lawyers before a lawyer would defend him. We found thirty left-paws in the shelter; bobby in the lab, had his paws full trying to identify them all even with their names and DNA. He eventually did, and we then closed thirty-seven missing and murdered mammal cases.

**Sting setup…**

We are at the house starting the first part of the sting. "Daniel do I have to do this"? "Yes, mom you do, we can't ask your sister to do this". "Right, I am the cop". "Ready mom"? asks Elisabeth. "As ready as I ever will be". Elisabeth goes to work on mom aging her appearance and adding scars from the file. When she's done, mom looks at herself in the mirror. "Wow is this what I'm going to look like when I'm older"? "Probably mom, I'm just having your cells break down, simulating age, I can reverse this later". "Right this is better than makeup for undercover operations”.

Genie had given us the look of the ring that Kevin had made for Thelma, we had Charles copy it after I drew it. He worked fast and had it to us in two days. Mom put it on and we found a yellow dress that was similar to the one Thelma was last seen in. We didn't need the ring for the first time, mom just stopped and looked in the diner's window. (go, mom, he's seen you) we radio to her. She walks calmly down the street, and once around the corner sprints for the open trunk of the cruiser. She dives in as Wolford slams it closed and gets back in the driver's seat. He does this just in the nick of time.

The next time was in front of the worksite. He looks up and sees Genie and mom. They are having a fun conversation about the antics of Nick; they are also gesturing wildly. (all right he has seen you two, time to move). The amble down the street and around the corner.

The next encounter is the bar. He's half snockered when mom walks in. She walks half away across the room, (go mom, he's seen you). She looks up at him and gets a scared look on her face as she pretends to see him. She turns and runs out. (It's ok mom, he's not following). We say as she gets in the cruiser further down the block.

The next morning when he leaves his apartment, we slip the next one into place. Lieutenant Lister takes the place of the pawnshop owner. Mom leaves the shop and walks calmly the two blocks to the apartment block. She opens the door and walks in. she tags Vivian and Scott just waiting for her. They leave the building, and Kevin holds the door open for them. He rushes in, and up the stairs. Mom waits at the door, tell she can hear him on the stairs, and calmly walks into the apartment, locking the door. She sprints for the open window and dives out. Onto Williams's new bike. William had liked the old "repulson field" bike and had built his own "graviton bike". William closes the window and bounces the bike to the roof. They look down and wait for Kevin to exit the building, heading for the pawnshop. Lieutenant Lister played his part perfectly. William flies mom and himself home so mom can change, he then flies her to the meadowlands where we will meet them.

The precinct jumps into action with precinct-sixteen in the meadowlands. Judge Harrison had been standing by to sign the warrant for the property in the meadowlands. The judge believed us when we told him what we were doing. And agreed to help us. They moved in as Susan and I watched and followed him. They found the old shelter, and ten minutes before we showed up, they had it cleaned out. The whole case hinged on the fact that Kevin needed to know where all the paws were. When he went straight for the shelter, we had him. His paw pads were all over the jars when they were dusted. The bodies on the property were just a bonus, and if nothing else we had him on them.

When it went to court a few months later, he was found guilty of murder on the bodies found on the property, but his lawyer successfully argued that he was not criminally responsible for the paw murders. He is now doing life in a high-security mental institute for the criminally insane, with no chance for parole even if he did get better.

**From the Star-News By Chris Beaverton**

Today in our great city of Zootopia A scientific breakthrough was announced by Wilde Industries. They have just announced a new form of a power plant. Some of you will scoff and label this as "science fiction", But their R&D department has built a “cold fusion reactor”. I was there for the demonstration of this power plant. This little plant and I do mean little, is no bigger than a pickup. If you noticed a slight flicker in your lights at eleven-am yesterday, that was when it was switched on and took over supplying power to the grid. This small box is producing as much power as the old coal-fired power plant, which takes up twenty acres of land. If it proves to be as reliable as they say, we now have a clean power source for the city. An eighty-percent reduction in smog emissions, wow, we will all be able to breathe a little easier in the future. The power plant runs on mammal waste or any organic material. So was placed just outside the sewage plant. All the workers of the power plant will be offered retraining in any job of their choice, or jobs with Wilde industries.

On a related note, they also unveiled a flying bike like contraption. Yes, we have all dreamed about a flying car, and they have proved it was possible. The bike runs on what is called a “Graviton Field”, and has a small fusion reactor as it’s power source. This reporter got to ride on the bike with one of the creators of the bike. It was quite the experience, the bike made no sound as it bounced us to one-thousand meters, I had quite the view of the city. They have no firm date for the production of the bike, but I can't wait for mine. You can find more on the story on page nine, and a short video on our paper’s web site.


	26. Coming around

Several weeks go by when Andy comes into our office. He is not looking at us but at the floor. "I'm sorry you two, I owe you both an apology, I have been a speciest asshat, and I’m sorry”. I respond to him, “Thank you, sir, that means a lot to me, what can we help you with"? "I have this old file I need you to look at". With that, he hands us the file and walks out. Susan and I stop and both look at the file, we felt why this file was important to him, and we just let him leave.

It was the murder of his family by a group of predators, ten years ago. The crime alone was horrendous, but all they found of his family were pieces, they had been eaten. Andy had been at the academy at the time. We decided to look into it if nothing else but to give Andy closure. We check the files for similar cases and found none for that time frame. It appears to be a one-off incident. We then looked into any missing swine; we find a lot of them. One every six-months for the last ten years. No one has made this connection before.

We then get the files and started a correlation on the map of Zootopia. We start to see a pattern. All the missing swine lived in a one-mile radius of each other. We presented this info to lieutenant Lister. "Why do you two seem to find stuff no one else finds"? "Maybe it's just a fresh pair of eyes"? "Could be, so how do we proceed"? "Sir"? "Look you guys found this, you need to see this through, so how do we proceed, “Detectives”? “Well sir, the way we see it we need to set up some sort of sting. We see by the files, that all the recent ones went missing, but Andy's family were the first ones, and they were eaten on the spot. We feel this was some kind of gang activity or initiation". "Andy asked you to look into his family"? "Yes sir, he did, why"? "I'm impressed, Andy has kept that file close to his chest for the last eight years, since it went cold. He has looked into it by himself on his off-duty time but found nothing. You two must have got to him, I told you he would come around". "Yes sir, you did, I think Andy would be the perfect undercover operative". "Yes, he would, ask him". "Sir"? "I told you it's your operation, set it up, bring in whomever you believe can help you”. “Thank you, sir”. “Don’t thank me, I’m throwing you in the deep end, I hope you can both swim”. “Yes sir, we can”.

When Andy comes back from his break, "Andy sir, can we have a word with you"? "What can I help you two with"? “Andy, we need to set up a sting, with you being the undercover operative”. “What does this have to do with my file"? "Andy, we believe we have found twenty more victims of the same killer as your family". He gets hard, "Show me". We lay it all out to him. By the end he's impressed. "You know I was mad at you two for getting this cushy job, but I can see you deserve it, I'm sorry". "It's okay, but this job is not cushy". "Yes, I thought it was, but I can see you work very hard at it, so how do we proceed"? We explained to Andy what we needed, he had some constructive criticism, in the end, we have a game plan.

He was given a limp by Elisabeth, he wasn’t keen on Elisabeth working on him, but did as we asked. He looked at us with trepidation as the pain hit him in his knee, but he did it. The cover story we had made up is that he was a laborer who was hurt on the job and had a small stipend from workers comp. It wasn't enough for the last place he lived, but he could afford the new place. Mavis inserted the correct files in all the databases. He has one of Rick's new trackers on him, and in him, it can't be detected by normal means, so we have Mavis monitor him. Susan and I canvas the neighborhood. We find a lot of swine live in the neighborhood, but most are down and out. This wasn't the case ten years -ago, but there was a downturn in the economy of the neighborhood, and it has fallen on hard times. We got a general sense of the neighborhood, and find the best location for the sting. Andy moves into a seedy apartment, he doesn't bring much stuff. The neighbors are very cordial to him, and after a few weeks accept him as one of their neighbors.

Andy is drinking late Saturday night when he is approached by another patron. The surveillance van starts to record. “Andy is it”? “Who’s asking”? Andy says it with a little heat. “Sorry, I’m Edmund, I live a few floors above you in the same apartment block". "No, I'm sorry, I just have had a bad time for the last six months". Andy shakes hooves with him. "Well if you're here and drinking this rotgut, you defiantly are going to have the worst time". "Yeah well, I can't afford the pain killers for my knee, so this rotgut will do". They talk for the rest of the night and become cordial acquaintances. We can feel something else; this guy is feeling him out.

On Sunday, Andy goes for his walk, if anyone asks, he tells them that he has orders from workers comp. to “walk or he is cut off”, so he walks. He stops at a small café on his route, and ordering a coffee, puts his earbuds in to listen to music as he sips his coffee. We talk to Andy through his earbuds. "Hey Andy, good job so far, Edmund is feeling you out for something, you need to up the sob story". He just nods his head. He finishes his coffee, and gets up, he almost falls on his face as his knee gives out, "Did you have to make it so realistic"? We laugh, as he grimaces in pain. "This will be worth it if we catch them", he says. We agree and leave him for the rest of his day.

Andy drinks almost every night, Edmund gets his full story out of him by the end of the week. Edmund is satisfied with what he hears, and we can feel him getting ready for the end game. We alert Andy, and he gets ready for the final as well.

Edmund comes to him on Saturday night. "Andy, I know of a better place to drink, and the drinks are cheaper". "I'm in, where are we going"? "It's a surprise, one I'm sure you will like". "Lead on McDuff". They jump into his car, “How can you afford a car Edmund”? “I’ve had it for a long time, I won it in a contest several years ago, it didn’t cost me anything”. We can feel the lie as Edmund told it, and we all jump into action; Mom and dad and several others are following them in unmarked cars, we follow all of them in the surveillance van. S.W.A.T. is notified and follows us. We are led to the outskirts of "Happy Town"; we are all Leary of happy town; this area is mostly predators.

:They go into a bar called the green leaf, the sign is a faded brown, Maybe the sign is in its fall colors? We wait a few blocks away. Andy and Edmund go in, Dad and I get dressed up in ratty clothes, and head in as well. The two of us were a good choice, most of the patrons were predators. Andy and Edmund got some really strange looks. Dad and I order some beers and go sit at a table in the back. We keep an eye on the crowd. I can feel a couple of mammals with a self-satisfied feeling when they saw Edmund. The drinks were cheaper, but not any better than the last place. Edmund buys the first round for Andy, and Andy buys the rest. I almost miss when Andy's drink is spiked, but dad nudges me and points it out.

Andy is sent for a loop and falls off his chair. A panther and a wolf come up to them. "Need some help with your friend here Edmund"? "Yes, I do thanks, he is kind of heavy”. The two predators pick him up and take him out the back door. Dad and I down our beers and get up, and head out the front door. They soon leave the back in a white van. Dad and I stroll down the street and go around the corner. We jump into the car, with mom at the wheel we turn to follow. They skirt Happy town, and head for the rainforest district. We are going on a bit of a chase when we finally stop at a run-down building on the outskirts of the rainforest district. They drag Andy in, Edmund follows.

The building is a front, they leave it through a tunnel. Susan and I take out our gas trank guns and go in. Edmund is tranked as he leaves out the front. We trank all the lookouts, there are five of them, and they are picked up later by the ZPD wagons. We then follow down the tunnel, the ZPD follow the surveillance van, as they follow us. Mom and dad follow us down the tunnel. Most predators have good night vision, but we need a little bit of light to see with, it doesn't have to be much. We notice the guards down the tunnel before they notice us. We put our gas guns away and I pull out our gas-powered sniper rifle. We trank the two guards, and we continue down to the door. There is a keypad to open the door. I lay the codebreaker on it; the door opens a minute later. I put the rifle back on my back, and pull out the gas trank gun again. The ZPD has now surrounded the building we are in. Mom and dad have come up behind us.

“Wake up bacon”. Andy is hit with a bucket of water. He sputters and coughs. He finds himself naked and strapped down to a coroner's table. He pulls on his bonds; he is strapped securely to the table. “Oh, look our meal is awake”. Andy focuses his eyes on eight predators in the room. “What the hell”? the leader comes up and gently runs a knife down And’s side. “We have a feisty one this time boys”. “What do you want with me”? “We want to eat your bacon, swine". "You'll never get away with it, the ZPD will find out". All eight of them burst out laughing, "Find out? We have been doing this for ten years now, they are clueless". "What do you mean ten years now"? The leader laughs, "I mean we ate a whole family of bacon ten years ago; they were very tasty. We have kept souvenirs of all our meals". With that he pulls back a curtain, Andy gasps to see all the skulls hanging on the wall. There are over two -hundred hanging there. "So, swine, you ready to join them”? “No, I’m not, you are all a bunch of sick bastards”. "That may be, but it doesn't change anything, we are still going to eat you". He then approaches Andy with the knife. He raises it above Andy when his cohorts start to fall. The knife comes down as he turns, he slices through Andy's bond on his right front hoof.

Andy rolls as far to the left as he can, and starts to undo the restraint on his left hoof. The perp turns back and raises the knife again. Andy hits him hard in the solar plex. He lets out an ohf and falls to his knees dropping the knife. Andy gets the knife off the table and cuts the last two restraints. He jumps off the table and get behind the perp and puts the knife to his throat. “You ate my family you sick bastard, say hi to them when you meet them”.

"Andy STOP, don't do this". "Daniel don't try to stop me, this bastard needs to pay for his crimes". "He will Andy, just not by your hand. Think this through Andy. If you kill him, he has a moment of pain then nothing. But if you let him live, he will be in pain for the rest of his life". "How"? "Think Andy, when he goes to prison, and he will, he will be closely monitored. He will have to wear a muzzle when out of his cell. No one will trust him not to take a bite out of one of them, he will have no friends. He's a cannibal Andy, look at the skulls, several are of his own species. Also, they will probably have him on suicide watch, just so he doesn't hurt himself. He also will never get to eat meat of any kind ever again. He will be fed tofu and other vegetables. And if he won't eat, they will strap him down, and force feed him". "how do you know all of this Daniel, I looked into procedures, and what the prison system did for them. His life will take a turn for the worst for him”. Andy thinks for a minute, and then throws the perps head against the table, he knocks him out. "Oops". He says as he smiles. His smile fades as he looks at the wall.

Andy starts to cry as he falls to his knees in front of the wall. “Which ones are they, which ones are my family”? “We don’t know at this point, but do you trust us”? He looks at me with tears in his eyes, “Yes I trust you, Daniel, Why"? "Andy we may have a way to identify each and every one of them”. “That’s good”, he says as he stands up “can we get my leg fixed now please"? Susan and I laugh, as the ZPD comes in. Forensics is appalled at the wall of skulls, but treating the skulls with respect, begin to pack them away as we leave with Andy. Mom and dad take over the investigation. We take Andy to the house and get his knee fixed. He's happy as he leaves.

“All right guys just ask your question; I will have an answer for you”. “Izzy do you still have the ability to identify someone by just feeling their face”? “Yes, I still have it, I just have to close my eyes". "On our case, we have a bunch of skulls that need identifying”. “Geez you don't ask for the easy ones, do you? I have never tried it on a skull before, but I can see you would like to bring closure to their families, so I will try". "Thanks, Izzy, I'm sure the families would appreciate the effort". "I assume you two will be there to help me"? "Yes, we will, could we start tomorrow”? Izzy sighs, “I guess, the sooner done, the better”. The next day we go down to the coroner's office with Izzy, she's a little nervous, but we hold her paws as we walk. She puts on a blindfold as we enter the office. They are very leery of our request and call the precinct for confirmation, they find out Elisabeth has been signed on to the precinct as a consultant. We are led to the drawers, most of the skulls had been put in a couple of drawers. Some of the skulls were plastic fakes, but one-hundred and forty-two were real. Some of the rest were the same species as the perps. There are two bodies the coroners asked her to identify. They are amazed that she can identify them. she had been blindfolded the whole time so couldn’t read the tags. They pull out the first skull and hand it to her. They label it with the name she had given to the skull, and Susan writes it down, the species and name. She manages to do them all before lunch, we had to feed her power when her power link wasn't enough. We then take her for lunch. Between us all, we devour enough for five mammals. By the end of lunch, we are laughing at each other's bad jokes.

She complains that she’s a big mammal and can look after herself. We laugh as we continue to walk her home. We then drop her off at home, After, wishing JR a good afternoon we head for the precinct. We fire up our computers and find most of them by the end of the day. Some we couldn’t find. And expanded our search to include missing mammals from other jurisdictions. Then started the task we were dreading, we had to inform families of their missing and found relatives. Some had no close relatives, so we had to leave those, and do them later. It took us about a week, and we were emotionally drained by it. We defiantly needed the weekend. We did not ask for help, we felt this was something we needed to do. Mom and dad just smiled and told us they were proud of us. This was the first time they projected to us, we were shocked, and so were they. That they could project to us was new to them, but that we would answer them the same way. We spent a few in nonverbal communication, dad got the idea this would help us in our jobs. We agreed that it does.

Later Andy cries himself to sleep, his family will have closure. He wakes up in a strange meadow. "Wow, how did I get here"? and looking around, where is here"? "Hello Andy, I'm Gab can you follow me please"? "Sir, where am I, and what am I doing here"? "Andy you are in the meadow, and you need to meet some mammals". Andy stumbles a bit, and when he looks up his family is in front of him. He screams out his joy as he runs to embrace them. "Hi son, long time no see". His dad just holds him, "I'm proud of you, son, but the time for mourning is done, it's time for you to live your life son". His mom and sister come into the hug as well. "I miss you all, and I'm sorry".

"Why are you sorry son? you couldn't stop what happened, and if you had been there you would have joined us. Son, you did what anyone could expect from you, you found our killers, and now they are going to pay with the rest of their lives, and they will be long ones. Forgive them, son, this is for you, not them". "How can I forgive them? they took you away from me". Forgive them, son, they will pay for their crimes for the rest of their lives. And if they don't repent, well I can't tell you what will happen, but rest assured it won't be nice". "Can you forgive them, son? We have all forgiven them". "For all of you, I will, it will be hard, but I will". "That's all we can ask son, it's time for us to go". Andy's father releases him, and with a little wave steps through the veil. His mother kisses him, and turns and steps through the veil as well. His sister hugs him as well, and crying steps though as well. Andy falls to his knees and wakes up in his bed.

He can only remember parts of his dream, but he feels like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders. His heart doesn't hurt as much, he wants to hate the mammals who killed his family, but he can't find it in his heart now that they are in custody. He falls back asleep with a smile on his face.

When he is handed the remains of his family, Andy breaks down, he holds the service for them a few days later. The sun is shining in the cemetery as we all wish his Family goodbye. He straightens up from the stone and placing his hoof on it says. "I forgive them, family". With that, he joins the rest of his family in blue.

From the Star-News

By Chris Beaverton

A major archeological find was made today in Bunny Burrow. The location is a closely guarded secret. I was there at the request of the family, we were taken into a forest, to the stone of the “Great Accord”. Yes, it has been found again, it was quite the sight to see it, it had been covered by some sort of stone cover sometime in the distant past, and when it was cracked off, the "Great Accord" was revealed in all its glory. How this coating was put on, they are still studying how that was possible. Several Archeologists were in the group and they were just shocked, the stone had not been seen in over five hundred years. The replica we have in central park is just a pale comparison to the real thing. There is talk of moving it, but the family whose property it's on refuses to let it be moved, they said it would be open for all to see later in the year. They promised there would be no charge to come and see it. But we are sure that parking and food concessions will not be free. Here are the first pictures of the stone, there is a short video of myself walking around the stone upon our website. The science community has asked that people leave it alone for now while they study it. More pictures on page two.


	27. Chapter 27

:Mom and dad have started a trend, that Susan and I continued. In the middle of every month, we have a couple's with kit's pool party. Mom and dad still have a pool party at the end of the month with all the adults. We invite Leon and Naomi, Terry and Sasha, Charles and Kathleen, Vivian and Peter, mom and dad, Skye and Jack, and more of the extended family. There’s no alcohol at this one.

The cubs, pups, kits, and kittens all greet each other, and all are a little shy. But soon with their parent’s help, are all in the water. Bonnie and Scott can see that they can swim just not very good. Justin grabs one of his cousins and holding his paws on either side of his head just stares into his eyes. Shortly thereafter his cousin is swimming perfectly like an otter. He does the same to all the rest throughout the night, and they all are swimming like they were born otters. Most of the adults write it off as their children learning by example. Bonnie, Justin, and Scott and all our siblings, had been swimming around them in circles.

Later when we ask Justin, he says it was similar to communicating in words, but more like thought transfer. Not sure what he meant by that, but he shrugs and says anyone could do it. I tried with Susan, but it didn’t work. Justin does it with Susan and it works, this was a new ability we had not seen before. We later start to teach him emotional control, and start him on ethical puzzles, we feel he will need it. Gab when asked, said it was fine, we weren't stepping on his toes. He lets out with a laugh when he sees the look on our faces.

After a few months of the swim parties, we took down the net that separated the pool. The kits were just that good, we had no fear of them drowning in the deep end. But they were all still watched by at least one adult. Bonnie seems to be hanging out with Scott’s cousin Neil, we didn’t see any kind of bond, other than friendship.

Our job over the months did not net us any new solved cases, I guess we were going through a bit of a dry spell. We looked but nothing jumped out at us. We had made a sizeable dent in the cold cases in the precinct and were asked to look at other ones from other precincts. We told Lieutenant Lister, that we had not limited ourselves to just precinct-one, but had already been looking at the whole city. He looked at us, and smiling, told us to carry on.

On our tenth birthday, we all went back to the amusement park and had a fun-filled day. Our daughter was having fun until she got hold of her first donut sample. Predictable she was hyper for about two hours, and then collapsed. I had to carry her sleeping form for the rest of the day. Some people thought I was carrying some sort of new plushie, but when I showed them, she was breathing, they just left embarrassed.

The cops from the precinct took us to the “Blue Shield” on our first anniversary, on the force. This was the only cop bar in town and a lot of cops were there from other precincts. We caught up with our graduation class, the ones that came that is. This was to celebrate all of our achievements and was used as an excuse to drink. They started slow, and Susan and I matched them drink for drink. By the end of the night, most of them had either left or passed out. Even McHorn staggered as he left the bar. Dad and mom had left hours ago, after mom passed out, we are going to rib her in the morning. Dad gave us a look as he left with mom, we just smiled and waved as they left.

:The next morning, we don't pick on mom; she was in horrible shape. We enter the bullpen, and with a resounding "good morning" knock them all for a loop. There is a lot of groaning, and catcalls as we all smile at them. When chief Bogo walks in, we can see his secret smile, as he ties into the whole bullpen, calling them a bunch of drunken sailors, they were not fit to serve and protect. He points to us, saying that they should all be like us, ready and raring to go. We hear from the back of the room, "We'll get you Wilde's, somehow we'll get you". I stand up on the chair and in a loud voice, “In your Wilde…est dreams officers". Everyone takes it good-naturedly and groan some more. Chief Bogo just laughs, this shocks the whole bullpen out of their stupor, The Chief laughing? Hell must have frozen over most think.

Mom over the last year had been helping Genie with studying for the academy. Susan, Vivian, and I did a crash course in fighting for her, and she told us more than once how she appreciated our help. Justin did the thought transfer thing for the obstacle course, I could see she was worried, but she has the same determination as mom, and we’re all sure she will pass. Genie gets just as big a send off to the academy as Susan and I did. It’s strange to think of Genie as auntie.

As she gets off the train, the same badger is at the check-in. "Judy, what are you doing here"? "Sorry sir you have me confused with someone else, I'm Genie Theisen". "I could have sworn… well never mind, do you think you can pass the academy"? "Yes, sir I will”. “I can see your determination and drive, lets get you settled in. You will be the only female this term can you handle yourself”? “Yes sir, I can”. “Right, your dorm room is one-A, if you have any trouble, just let any of the instructors know, and we will deal with it”. “Thank you, sir, but I’m sure I can handle any situation”. He just shakes his head, “Right next”.

Later after supper, she is cornered by two wolves. “Well my pretty little prey, care for me to show you a good time"? "Geez is that the best pickup line you've got? No wonder you're still single". He puts a paw on either side of her head. "I don't need a pickup line when I've got the meat". “Right, I’ve seen squirrels hold out bigger nuts, besides I’m old enough to be your mother”. He slams the wall on either side of her head. “I like my females mature”. “Well junior, I’m not a cradle robber, so move along”. She ducks under his arm and proceeds to move away when a paw lands on her shoulder. Genie doesn’t turn around she just turns her head. “Junior, remove your paw before I break it, and you have to apply next year”. “Why you little slut, I’ll show you junior”. Just then Major Ursula comes around the corner.

“do you have a problem here, Genie”? “Yes, ma’am I do, and I want to take it to the ring”. “Really? What did he do”? “He tried to pick me up, and he laid an unwanted paw on my shoulder. I consider it an unwanted advance, and assault". "She's right cadet, you just assaulted her, she could have you charged". "I didn't assault her, it's her word against mine". "Cadet, check over your left shoulder, there’s a camera there recording everything”. He looks and blanches when he sees the camera. “So, do you want to charge him”? “No ma’am, I want to meet him in the ring, and I’m sure the rest of the cadets will want to see it”. “It’s Your choice Cadet Victor, do you want to meet her in the ring, or do we watch the video, and you face charges of assault”? He thinks for a bit, and figures what has he got to lose. “I’ll meet her in the ring ma’am”. “Good, I haven’t seen a good fight in a long time”.

ALL CADETS TO THE GYM, I REPEAT ALL CADETS TO THE GYM. "This is De-Ja-Vu to two-years ago, huh Major"? "It sure is Sergeant Wilford, we need to get her ready". "Right". "Are you sure you want to do this Genie"? "Yes sir, Sergeant, I am, I need to set the class straight, I'm off-limits". "Alright, here's your chance, go get him".

The bell is rung and they both advance towards each other. Victor throws the first punch, but Genie just smiled at him and flows out of the way. They go three rounds without Victor landing a single swipe or punch on her. She can tell he’s exhausted, now is the time to finish him. When the bell is rung for the fourth round Genie jumps at him. She starts to land blow after blow on him. Victor thinks he's bitten off more than he could chew, but continues as best as he can. Genie head-butts him, and he goes down. But the bell is rung. She turns back for her corner. “I notice a certain individual influence in your fighting style, do you know Daniel Wilde”? “Yes sir, he’s my nephew”. His eyes get big, “Well that does explain a lot, carry on”.

The bell is rung, and Genie gets up. Victor leaves his arms down, as he goes to the center of the ring. "No more please, I'm sorry I offended you, and I will pack my things and leave". "Really? you're going to give up before you begin? You're saying that a little bunny can beat you? "Where're your balls, Victor? I want to beat you at being a cop, not just prove I can just beat you up. I challenge you Victor to do your best and show me you are cop material, all I see at the moment is a scared little pup, be the mammal I know you can be, what do you say”? Victor lifts his head, “I accept your challenge, and I will beat you”. “Big words little mammal, we’ll see won’t we”? “Yes, we will”.

Genie and Victor become friends over the next several months, they help each other through the obstacle course and study together tell lights out. Victor treats her like a sister. Genie shows him the isometrics routine, and Victor picks it up fast. The academy has not incorporated the routine into training yet, but that would happen next year.

We have not told Stu and Bonnie about Genie; I’m sure mom wants to surprise them at Christmas. Come Christmas time, Genie agrees to meet us at the Bunny Burrow station. We are coming from opposite directions, and our train will arrive at about ten-minutes after Genies. we have a whole compartment for this trip. Genie is just sitting there waiting for our train when Stu and Bonnie arrive at the station.

"Judy, when did you get in"? Stu asks Genie as they rush over and bringing her into a hug. Just then our train arrives, and we all bailout off the train. "Great-grandpa" yells Bonnie as she bounces towards them, she jumps into Stu’s arms. We all slowly walk over; mom is behind us all. “You let Judy catch an earlier train, while you all came on a later one”? “No dad they didn’t”, says mom as she walks out from behind us. We all thought Stu was going to twist his head off looking from mom to Genie. “Good to see you sis”, says mom bringing Genie into a hug. They then turn to look at her parents. Bonnie has her paws to her muzzle, and Stu is doing his fish out of water impression again. “We have a lot tell you mom and dad; can you hold the questions tell we are in the kitchen”? Bonnie and Stu just nod their heads yes, as they lead us all to the van.

Most of our siblings stay in the kitchen with us. Bonnie, Justin, Scott, and Elisabeth are taken away by the kerfluffle. Bonnie and Stu have already started in with the bottle from the cupboard before anyone else had a chance to sit down at the table. We all sit down, and the story begins. Stu And Bonnie sit there in rapt attention, the bottle was forgotten. At the end of it all, Stu and Bonnie both have tears in their eyes. They bring Genie into a hug; Genie starts to cry as well.

Later mom and Genie go for a walk, mom wanted to show her where she grew up. Three short horn blasts go off in the Burrow when mom and Genie are far enough away. We see bunnies heading out, and we follow them to the great living room. Almost all the bunnies from the burrow are there. "Sorry for the meeting everyone," says Stu, "I know you are all busy this Christmas season, but we need to discuss Judy's Sister". Almost all put a puzzled look on their faces as Stu explains What happened Thirty-five years ago. Later, "So, you all know the story, what say you all"? A round of cheering goes around the room, everyone agrees.

Come Christmas morning all the gifts are pawed out to the kits. Dad has fun pawing them out, he portrays himself as “Santa Paws”. Mom wears the costume I had fist envisioned her wearing, the first-time dad had pawed out the gifts. Her mom had made the costume from my drawing, that drawing was now framed and hung on the wall at Christmas. She paws the gifts to dad and calls out the name of the individual receiving the gift. As they finish the gift-giving, Stu stands up and moves to the center of the floor. The room goes quiet, everyone knows what’s coming.

"Well everyone this Christmas season has been the best, and we are all here to give out the last gift, Genie would you stand up please"? Genie gets a shocked look on her face but stands up, mom just gets a puzzled look on her face. “Genie most of the burrow knows parts of your back story, and how hard you had it, all that running and hiding. We are very social creatures and we don’t know how you survived all those years alone, but if you want, you never have to be alone again. Genie, the whole family wants to offer you our burrow and last name". you could have heard a pin drop in the room. Genie and mom's paws fly to their muzzles, and they start to cry. In a choking, sobbing voice Genie chokes out a "YES". Mom jumps up and brings her mom and dad into a hug, Genie embraces all three, as the room erupts in cheers. Wow, what a gift, Genie now has a family.

The rest of the day is very anticlimactic, but fun. By the end, of the day Genie's paw is sore from shaking the paw of everyone else. She has no hope of remembering all their names but does her best. Stu and Bonnie have satisfied smiles on their muzzles most of the day. William got the first defeat he had ever been handed. Genie beat him at “smash bunnies”, he was shocked, he challenged her to a rematch, and she beat him again. The only time we saw Bonnie, Justin, Scott, and Elisabeth, was when they came out for meals with the rest of the kerfluffle. Suzie is now the mainliner at the piano, she had taught herself to play. Scott is playing hide a seek with the older bunnies, he pounces on them when he finds them and pretends to eat them as they shriek with laughter. He howls just before he goes on the hunt again, they shriek with laughter and run and hide. Cindy has all the lawyers in the burrow in a mass discussion, of the times and new laws, they all have a good laugh at the old obscure laws that are still valid. Davis couldn't get away this year, he had just started his internship with Holy Cross Memorial. Terry was talking with Brian Hopps about the finances of the Burrow, and How they might be improved. Ava and Rick were looking at the computer room for the Burrow, they were very disappointed at what they found, I believe “The Stone Age” was mentioned many times. Susan and I play board games and charades, with several different groups of bunnies. It’s a great day.

We leave a few days later, it's a hug-fest as we leave, we wish Genie well. Mom and Genie cry as they hug, she tells Genie if she was Valedictorian than Genie could be as well. Genie just laughs, "I am," she says. We all wave to Genie, Stu, and Bonnie as the train pulls out. "Well daughter, time to go home"? It was a few seconds before it clicked with Genie what he had said. She tears up as she turns around, "lets" was all she said as she hugged them.

It’s a week later when Genie gets the same send off as we did, just a few more tears. She starts to change her name at the academy and has all the paperwork done before graduation. She graduates as the Valedictorian and Victor graduates as the salutatorian. She gets a hug from all of us at the reception and Stu and Bonnie are both crying as they hug her.

Come Monday we all walk into the precinct, mom is behind us, with Genie in front. “Morning spots”, says Nick. “Morning”. Reply’s Clawhauser. “Oh, wait, have you guys heard? Another bunny has graduated from the academy, I hope she shows up soon, I wouldn't want her to be late on her first day". With that Genie jumps onto the front counter, and grabbing Clawhauser by his shirt, pulls him into a full muzzle kiss. Clawhauser turns red, and his arms flail around, unsure what to do with them. She releases him, "Hi Handsome", she says as she jumps down. "Judy what the h…, Nick I'm so sorry I didn't mean to…". "Mean to what Benny"? Asks mom as she steps around us all, and stands beside her sister. Clawhauser's eyes get big as he takes in the two of them, they are both wearing uniforms. We all burst out laughing at his flabbergasted expression. "Benny, I would like you to meet this year's academy Valedictorian, and my twin sister, Genie Hopps". He just stands there in shock. After a few, we just leave him there, with a shocked look on his face.

Dad, Susan, and I stand in the back of the bullpen, as Genie and mom walk to the front, and sit in our normal chair. The whole bullpen goes quiet looking at the two of them. Chief Bogo walks in and looking out over the bullpen spots mom and Genie. "Well, Judy did you accidentally get run through the photocopier? And if you didn't would you like to explain the duplicate of you"? "No sir, I mean yes sir, this is my twin sister Genie Hopps, sir". “So, which one of you is Judy and which one of you is our new rookie”? “That would be me sir”, they answer in unison. “Right, I see the joke, and I do appreciate it, BUT IF YOU DON’T TELL ME WHO’S WHO, IT WILL BE A MONTH OF PARKING DUTY FOR YOU BOTH”. “I’m Judy sir, I’ll just get changed and head up to my office". Mom says this, jumping down from the chair and heading out the door. Dad moves very quickly, and they both leave together. "All right, now that that's over, WILDE'S you get the honor of taking this rookie upfront, out on patrol. Wolford's you get the new rookie wolf. Trunkabee you get to take the new rookie pachyderm. And Delgato you get the rookie Cheetah. All of you have savannah patrols. Snalof and Woolton, S.W.A.T. has requested you for the day, the rest have your regular patrols, now hop to it". The bullpen empty's after the chief leaves.


	28. John

Where do I begin? It’s been a real roller coaster of a ride so far. What? All right from the beginning then. My first memory is of a warm place, a place I was floating in. A badger would look into the tank and write on the clipboard she was holding. Every so often a lion would look in as well. I could hear sounds, but I had no way of identifying them, I had no reference point to start from. But I remember all of it. I looked over myself, and I had paws and a long tail, I was an orange and creamy white color. All my paws were black, and the tip of my tail was black as well. Who knows how long I was in that tank? But I remember how I left it.

I was woken up from sleep? Not sure, if I was sleeping, but I became aware of a rumbling, and suddenly the end of the tank I was in was broken by a flying piece of metal, and the room started to fill with water. I spilled out of the tank and all the wires and tubes were ripped off me. Along with the sack? Around me. The badger was hanging onto the door handle for dear life. She stretched out her one paw to me, “John” she hollered. But it was too late, I took my first breath just before I was sucked down the manhole into the storm sewer system. It was quite the ride down the drain. My lungs were screaming for air, as I was spilled out into the river. I wasn’t the only thing floating in the river, and I tried to latch onto some floating debris, I finally made my way to a snag, how? I don’t know but I did, and I latched on. It was a good thing I did, the river started to get faster and faster. The snag and I bounced off some rocks in the river, this was quite the ride, and I was terrified. I hung on for dear life as the river tossed us around. Just as it started to slow down, I could see the rock coming, the snag hit the rock, and I was thrown headfirst into the rock. I was knocked out cold on the rock, how I hung onto the snag I'll never know, but I did. Later when I came to, it was all I could do just to hold my head up.

I was laying on the bank of the river, the snag had been pushed into an eddy, and I had been pushed onto the bank. I staggered to my paws, and moved away from the bank, moved up the bank with my tail dragging on the ground behind me. With every step I took my head and tail screamed with pain, but I had to get away from the river. I got into the tree line and I curled into a ball and fell asleep in the hollow of some tree roots.

When I awoke, I took stock of my situation. I had to live by my instinct, it’s all I had. I had a name, but what was that good for? I had no other abilities, so I started to sniff the air. I followed my nose to something that smelt good. My tail hurt as it bounced over the ground, but I grinned and bore it. I came to a sort of clearing, with some bushes in it. The smell was coming from the bushes. I went over and started to pull the little round blue balls off the bushes and eat them. They were good, and I ate my fill. I walked around the bushes and saw something walking towards me. They hadn’t seen me, and I hid under the thickest bush. They were talking amongst themselves.

“So, Marsha how many baskets do we need”? “Mom said we needed four baskets for the blueberry surprise she is making”. “I wonder how long that will take us”? “Well, if you would put more in the basket than you do in your belly, we would be done in no time”. “Hey, I don’t do that”. “Yes, you do, but I may do it as well, so let’s get started”. Pick berries they did, tell they came to the bush I had been eating off of. “Look Marsha, pawprints, and the bottom of the bush is picked clean of berries. I wonder who is stealing the berries”? “I don’t know Wayne, but these prints look like uncle Nicks prints, just smaller". "Your right, good eye, let's follow them, maybe we can catch the culprit". They followed the prints to the bush I was under.

The closer they got, the more frightened I got. My instincts screamed at me to run, so I did. I broke out from under the bush right in front of them. They screamed, as I jumped out and ran. They followed me with their eyes to the tree line. I ran tell I felt I was safe. I learned that day to stay away from everyone, to not be seen. I needed a place to sleep, and putting my nose in the air again, went to search for a place to call mine. I found a long-abandoned shack. I could smell no recent use by anyone and felt this would be a safe place. My tail still hurt as I curled into a ball and went to sleep.

I woke later in the day and went hunting for more food. I found some wild berries and mushrooms. And after eating my fill, went back to my den. This was routine for several days, tell I heard a noise, and as scared as I was, I was also curious. I slunk from bush to bush, as I got closer, I could see more of the same somethings working in a field. They were pulling something out of the ground, and putting them in baskets that others were picking up and hauling the baskets away. I watched it all, from under the bush I was hiding under. I watched how they did it, and learned how to do it. Once they picked all the roots, they left the field. Some others followed with bent sticks, and later others came along after them with bags and sprinkled some small amount of dirt back on the ground. I was so fascinated by what was going on, I didn’t notice the somethings, coming from my left, I could not smell them, as the wind was coming from the wrong direction.

"So, dad, do you believe Marsha and Wayne"? "I'm not sure, but I'm sure they saw something". They continued to walk towards me. My instincts all screamed at me to run but I just crouched lower. They got to the bush, and I couldn't take it anymore, I jumped up and ran. "Well Brian I'm sure they told the truth; did you see him"? "Yes, dad I did, he appears to be a fox of about ten years”. “Could be, but where are his parents? he ran from some bunnies, very strange, maybe he’s gone savage”? “Could be, do we need to call the Sheriff”? Yes, son, I think we should, did you see his tail? It appears to be broken, and why is he running on all fours”? “not sure, this just so strange”. “Your right it is”.

Stu pulls out his phone and calls the sheriff. Soon the sheriff arrives and checks out the scene. "If what you tell me is correct, there's no way we can catch him. You'll need another fox to catch him". "would Gideon help"? the sheriff laughs, "Do you think Grey could catch him? I don't see him catching a cold, let alone this child". Stu laughs, "Yes, Your, right, but if it was a wild blueberry, that wouldn’t stand a chance”. All three mammals laugh. After they get themselves under control, “I’ll make a request of the ZPD for a fox to assist us, maybe Nick”?

“Maybe”, “you have told me that he hasn't attacked anyone, so I'm sure he's not savage, but ferial. But if you could, he needs something more than the veggies he's been eating. Do you think you could give him some protein"? "We could, what kind are you Suggesting"? "Put out three dishes, one with some meat, one with peanut butter, and one with bugs, then see which one he eats". "We can do that; we have all three at the Burrow". The sheriff raises an eyebrow, "we have the meat and bugs in the freezer for when Nick, Vivian, and Peter come visit”. "Right I'll check back in a few days, and let you know what's happening". "Thanks, sheriff, you got time for a coffee at the Burrow"? "Sure, don't mind if I do".

I ran back to my den and hid there for the rest of the day. I decided no more daylight forays, night only. When it got dark, I slipped from my den and went in search of food. A strange scent hit my nose and I followed it to the source. I spent a long time under the bush making sure no one was around. I cautiously left the cover of the bush and went towards the smell. The first dish held small shelled creatures. They turned my stomach. The second dish had a piece of a dead creature in it, I felt sorry for it, and digging a shallow grave, buried it. But the third dish, wow, it was delicious it stuck everywhere. To my muzzle to my cheeks and the roof of my mouth. I licked for a long time to get it all off, I then went in search for something else.

"Still think he's savage? I've never heard of a savage who wouldn't eat meat. He buried that chicken breast". Said Stu, as they all watch the night vision camera that had been set up. "Then what is he dad"? "the sheriff thought he might be ferial, and after seeing this, I would have to agree with him. His approach to the food was what I would have expected his ancestors to do. Down on all fours, using only his muzzle, and sniffing the air and looking around for anything out of place”. “How did he become ferial”? "I'm sure I don't know, but I want no one to approach him. Leave him alone, I've heard that ferial creatures when cornered, will turn and attack. So, no one approaches him. Brian pass the word, if anyone sees him, to leave him alone till help gets here". "Right dad, I'll make sure everyone knows to leave him alone".

**Two Weeks Previously….**

"Good evening Zootopia, I’m Henry Goodwin your weather mammal with an update on the hurricane headed our way. It's going to be quite the blow, the first hurricane of the century. All those in low lying areas are asked to seek higher ground. The subway will be shut down about three hours before the hurricane hits. When it hits the mountains, there is a high probability of flash flooding. Emergency shelters have been set up outside the flood zones, please move to them and keep yourselves safe. Be prepared for the power to go out, not sure if the power grid will stay up. Stay tuned to your radios for any emergency broadcasts. And above all keep yourselves safe. This is Henry Goodwin signing off for now".

**Present-day…**

Susan and I arrive in our squad car, Elisabeth is with us as well. The chief was not happy, but Elisabeth insisted she needed to be here with us. The Chief after a few minutes of thinking realized she was probably right. She was signed again onto the precinct as a consultant. So here we all are, hugging grandma and grandpa. They take us into the living room and show us the videos of his actions over the last few days. Susan and I agree that he is ferial. Elisabeth just sits quietly and watches the videos. We all head out to the last know location of him. I sit down and grab some power to send myself into the forest. I find him about a half-mile away, in an old broken-down log cabin. He is sleeping at the moment. I come back to myself, "I found him, but he's like no other mammal I have ever met, he has no higher brain function, he is an instinctual fox. He's working strictly from instinct, if I had to guess, he has never been taught anything”. “How is that possible? He appears to be about ten”. “I don’t know, but he is a blank slate. His tail is broken as well, and he is in pain from it”. “Good thing I came then, isn’t it”? “Your right Sis, let approach him cautiously”. We walk slowly towards him.

I hear something and bolt upright. I look out at three mammals just sitting out in front of my den. I crouch back down and growl at them. I feel peace and calm come over me, I stop growling and sit upon my haunches and just stare at them. My nose starts to sniff, they have food with them. The male throws something at me, I cringe back in fear at the object, but my nose tells me food. I cautiously creep forward and picking the food in my muzzle, eat it. I keep my eyes on them the whole time, and they don’t move. He throws another piece and it lands closer to him. I whine, but there’s no help for it, I move further out of my den and gobble down the food, I’m just so hungry. All the time the feeling of peace rest upon me. I sit on my haunches about four feet from them. Then the other female on his left throws another piece of food. It lands closer to her. I move over and pick it up. I sit back down on my haunches and look at her. My nose starts to sniff, she’s an unmated female. I slip closer to her, sniffing all the time I do so. She lifts her paw, and I growl at her. She just holds her paw palm up with more food on it. I slowly move forward and gingerly take the food from her palm. I don't move too far back, but she just sits there with her palm out. She moves her other paw, I growl, but she brings it out with more food on it and places it in her upright palm. I shuffle closer to her and take the food out of her palm. When I'm finished, I just sniff her palm. She giggles, this startles me a bit, but I can tell it means she was happy. I sit back on my haunches and open my muzzle and my tongue just hangs out the side of my muzzle. She giggles again, the other two I had forgotten about, tell he moved. I jump to protect her from him, I growl at him. She takes the chance and runs her paws through my coat, and I thrill at her touch. This felt right, protecting her. Then my world goes to blinding white.:

:Daniel, Susan, and I are just sitting there when he wakes up. Daniel throws him some food and gets him to move out. I then throw him some food. He takes it and moves closer. I lift my palm, he growls at me as I do, but seeing the food in my palm, come and takes it. I move my other paw, he growls, but when he sees food, he stops. He takes this piece out of my palm, and after eating it, sniffs my palm. I couldn't help it, it tickles, so I giggle. He startles a bit, but then sits down on his haunches, and opening his muzzle his tongue lollies out the side of his muzzle, He’s laughing. I can't help it, I giggle again. Daniel moves his position to get more comfortable. He jumps between me and Daniel and growls at Daniel. I take the chance and run my paws through his coat. I can tell he's thrilled at my touch, so I decide to fix his tail, I start, and this is when my world goes white.

I move a bit, and he jumps between me and Elisabeth. He growls at me to protect her, and then the two of them collapse together. Susan and I are concerned, we can see some sort of thought transfer happening. We want to split them up, but worry about what kind of damage would happen if we did that. So, we just let it run its course. As it proceeds, we see a bond form between them, but oh what a bond, it’s stronger and deeper than Susan’s and I. Eventually they both pass out, and the transfer stops. I pick him up in the fireman’s carry, Susan picks Elisabeth up in the same carry and we head back for the Burrow. We stop several times to catch our breath. When we come into sight carrying them both, we are immediately surrounded by family, and receive help getting them into the Burrow.

We set them down in the study on some couches. We don’t know how long they will be out, so we sit with them. Stu and Bonnie bring us some water. "Is it safe to bring him into the Burrow Daniel"? "It's Safe Stu, I don't know what happened, but it's safe. He has higher brain function now, again I don't know how". "Is Elisabeth ok"? "I believe so, I think it was just sensory overload on her part, we won't know for sure tell they wake up". It takes about two hours for them to wake up.

I come around and can tell I'm not in my den no more, I slowly sit up and look around. "Hello sir, do you have a name"? "I heard a mammal say "John", not sure if that's my name, but it's as good a name as any". “What else do you remember John”? “Not much before Elisabeth, how is she by the way”? “I’m fine”, says Elisabeth sitting up. I rush to her side and just hold her. But she’s having none of that. She turns and kisses me on the muzzle. I just melt into her arms. And we kiss for a few. Daniel clears his throat behind us. “Well do I know what young love is, but Susan and I need some answers”. “I’m sorry I can't give you many. Most of it is a blur, and the rest was pure instinct". "Can you tell us where you come from"? "Not sure it was a dark place". "Can you show me, John"? "How do you mean, show you"? "It's ok John, I’ll show Daniel”. Elisabeth lays her paws on either side of my head and shows me what John was talking about. I see the lab, but what got my dander up was the face. "Carl", He survived the destruction of his complex. Susan shakes her head as well when I show her. Elisabeth and John go back to what they were doing before.

I break them up again, “All right you two what happened to you”. “Well, you know what Justin can do, we just did that on a grander scale. I copied my knowledge to John here, and then took myself back from him. We will never be any closer than we are now”. She just hugs him. “All right what do we tell mom and dad”? “What’s to tell Daniel, he’s my mate, we have what I would term a life bond. If he dies, I die. And if I die, he dies. Our bond is on a deeper level than yours and Susan’s, one day, you will have one as deep as ours”. “Wow that’s a lot to take in”, says Susan. “So, should we introduce John to the rest of the family". "Lets," says Elisabeth getting up. John gets up and winces in pain. "Oh, darn, let me fix that for you love". "It's ok, I need to try this for myself". Saying that John takes his tail in his paws and heals it. "Wow was that intense”. We just look at him. “What? Elisabeth showed me how to do this and I needed to see if it worked”. He flips his tail around, “Yup it works just fine”. “Well next order of business is we need to get you some clothes, you can’t walk out naked you know”. “Why not? This is what we are born with”. “Elisabeth”, I say, and she just laughs, “I get it Daniel, but he’s using your sense of humor”. We find him some clothes to wear, it doesn't fit him too badly, we then go and introduce him to the family.

Later in the day after lunch, we head back to the city. John has his nose pressed up to the glass and watches everything go by. We park our cruiser and introduce John to Chief Bogo. We spend a few hours writing our report and hand it into chief Bogo. He reads it and nodding his head, ushers us out of his office. Elisabeth and John had been keeping Clawhauser company, John just sat there taking it all in. We ask him to follow us downstairs. We take him to Bobby. "Hey, Bobby how's it going"? He draws me into a hug, which I return. "It's going fine, what can I do for you officers"? "We need a DNA test done on John here". "Pleased to meet you John", he says as he shakes his paw. "Bobby can you keep it on the down-low, we think something nefarious is going on". "Right I can list it as a John Doe, no offense John, it's what we call a unknow body, and you are unknown". He shrugs as he opens wide. We leave the precinct and head home.

We come into the house and are greeted by JR. "So, Daniel who's your new friend"? "JR I'd like to introduce you to John, John meet JR, our doorkeeper". JR laughs, "I'm not your doorkeeper, that's Mavis's job". He says as he shakes John's paw. "Pleasures all mine sir". "Polite little cuss isn't he"? We just laugh as we go to the kiosk. Hey Mavis we have a new member of the family. **“You know I can’t let you authorize that, only an adult can”.** Check your facts, Mavis, as far as the law is concerned, I'm an adult". **"Right, let me rephrase that until an adult over the age of majority authorizes it, you can’t”.** “Right, I get it, he is visiting tell dad says so”. “Right, guest step forward, place your paws on the scanner, state your name, and look into the camera”. John does as we request of him. **“Thank you, John, you may all proceed”.**

When we come into the house, we can smell something good happening. John's mouth starts to water, and we can hear his stomach rumble. Mom and grandma are making supper, dad is just sitting in his chair. Dad looks up, but stops and looks hard at John. “Hey carrots, look over there”. Mom looks at John and sees what dad's looking at. "Wow, I guess it's storytime tonight". With that, she goes back to meal prep. "So, who are you? young fellow", asks grandma. "I'm John ma'am". "Well good to meet you, John, come in, pull up a chair, and sit down". "how long to supper grandma"? About thirty-minutes Daniel”.

Good, just enough time”. Susan and I grab John and Elisabeth and head for the showers. We strip down and get under the hot water. John is a little hesitant, but Elisabeth helps him. John had a musky fox smell, I do too, but his was way stronger. After showering we all head for the pool, and dive in. John swims with Elisabeth and I swim with Susan. As we swim around, we kiss our mates frequently. We leave the pool, and after drying and brushing, head upstairs. We are nude as we enter the house. Scott hands John some clothes, they are roughly the same size. Elisabeth leads him to the room next to hers, we all get dressed and head to the kitchen for supper. After supper, it's storytime.

We tell the story of the day, and for the ones who can feel the story, Elisabeth tells them. Grandma is a little surprised but takes it well. Peter doesn't know what to think, but I'm sure grandma will explain it later. I can feel Elisabeth arguing with dad, but she is firm. Dad sighs, “Mavis we have a new house member, John has full access to the house, executive authorization Nickolas P. Wilde omega 1600. **“Thank you, Nick, Welcome to the house John”.** "Thanks, Mavis". Dad's not happy, but he can now see how strong their bond is. Mom asks the question of Johns origins, Susan and I answer in thoughts, she gets a hard look, and just nods at Susan and I, we just promised her we would look into it.

Later we bring both of them to Gab. He lays a paw on them both. “Wow, I've not seen a couple bond like this is a very long time". "How long Gab"? "A very long time". Like four-thousand years-long"? "Daniel, why would you pick that number"? "Gab we know we are not the first mammals on this world, but we are the most diverse group of sentient mammals to walk the world". "Yes, you are, how did you find out"? "We found out from a computer, or more accurately an AI". “Should we now call you Gabriel or just still Gab”? “Gab will be just fine, so have you read the histories”? “Must of them we have, but we will come back later with questions”. “Humm… that is a new development, what has John got to do with this History”?

“Susan and I believe he was created in a lab, by one we know as Carl”. Gab gets a hard look on his face. “I thought Carl had made his way to Ockny a long time ago, but I guess I was mistaken”. “And you are sure John is his handy work”? Pretty sure, the face we were shown was the face of Carl the lion”. "Yes, he has the face of a lion and the morals of a rock. Be careful of him you two, he is a very dangerous mammal". "We will, but the way Elisabeth transferred John knowledge, was very strange”.

"How so? and can you tell me"? "I'm not sure I can explain it, can you see my thoughts"? Gab doesn't say anything but places his paw to the side of my head, and I show him. He does the same for Susan and gets a troubled look on his face. "This is all new to me, but if I had to guess, I would say he's found a way to transfer the thoughts from one being to another using life energy, or at the least, he set John up to suck in knowledge when he felt life energy. This is a very dangerous road Carl has now taken; he needs to be stopped". "We'll do the best we can, but we don't know where he's at". "You won't have to look too hard, he will find you. He has probably moved base already, so the best you can do is find where he has been. But I'm sure he will make his move soon". "Right, we will keep a lookout for him". "You do that, meanwhile leave these two with me, I need to start their training, you two have too much on your plate right now, go we will talk later". With that, we blink out.


	29. The times they are a changing

The next morning, we get up and everyone joins us in the routine. John has the forms down pat, but he is trembling the whole time he is doing it. He collapses as we finish. “I should be better than that”. He says as I help him up. “John you have never done this before, you were perfect, you just need to build up some muscle strength”. Thanks for stroking my ego Daniel, I needed that”. Genie is just as good as my mom, so I set them sparing together. We go for a shower and swim; John kisses Elisabeth regularly. Dad's not happy with him, but mom grabs him and drags him into the water, and tries to drown him. The fights on, mom does a perfect job of distracting his thoughts from John. Miss Watts is a little leery of John but does come around eventually.

We get back at it, after morning patrol. We now have Genie as our rookie patrol officer, The Wolford’s have Victor. It’s kind of strange having our aunt as a rookie. We talk about our jobs with her and get more of her life's story. With three pairs of eyes in the cruiser, our arrest record goes up. We had some strange looks from the criminals and some laugher. But no one is laughing after we arrest them, we prove we are more than capable.

When we get to our office, it’s like the dam burst, we start making connections again. We put a robbery together with a murdered mammal, and hand the whole thing to Andy, he was looking into the robbery, and the victim was one of the robbers. We are starting to get other detectives from other precincts, most of the time when we are shown a file, we hand it back and, in most cases, have them look up other files that are related. Sometimes we have to explain the relationship, but most of the time they get it with shock looks in their eyes.

Jack comes into our office, later in the afternoon. “So, you two why the cryptic call”? “Well Jack, we have two files we need you to look over”. I hand him the files, one we made up for a John doe, who was at the morgue, and the other one was a history for John. “So, why am I looking at these files”? “Jack these files we want to insert into the system. They are both for the same individual. They are for our newest member of our family, Jack, he’s a clone”.

“A clone? But who created him”? “Jack he was created by a lion we know as Carl. We’re not sure why he was created, but assume he was created to take over a company when the owner died”. “But I thought you were the only ones to know the final part of the procedure”. “We were, but then we found out Carl was still alive, he was the one that William shot down, and he was the one that gave us the clue for the final part of the procedure”. "Well if you ask me, these are the most comprehensive files for anyone, would you consider making one for me the next time I go undercover"? "Sure jack, so they are good"? "Flawless I would say, so why the obit"? "We want to see if the body will be claimed, and who by".

"Mavis, can you insert the files in the correct places"? **“Done”.** “We need an alert if the files are looked at, and where it comes from”. **“Done as well”.** “I still can’t get over that, that is a computer”. “She’s Not a computer Jack, she’s an AI”. **“Perhaps I need to prove it to Jack, how about we list him as dead, and he can figure out how to unbury himself”?** “Can she do that”? “Yes, Jack she can, you saw the files she made”. “Oh, I’m sorry Mavis, I have never had to deal with the likes of you”. **“Well Jack, if that won’t work how about I give you fifty-million dollars, and you can explain it to your bosses”?** Susan and I start to laugh. “Please don’t I’ll behave”. **“I still think it would be fun”.** "Did Daniel program you? You have his sense of humor". Mavis laughs, **“No jack he didn’t, but I have come to appreciate his sense of humor”.** “Wow, I swear I’m talking to a real person”. “I think she Is a real person”, I said, as Jack left the office.

Cold cases for the city overall don't go up, and even come down a bit. Some of the higher-ups have noticed this Lieutenant Lister, Chief Bogo, and the police commissioner have a meeting to discuss us. “So, what do we owe this meeting to commissioner”? “Mark Lister, how many times do I have to tell you to call me Denis"? "Many more times sir, I don't feel comfortable calling you by your first name, I prefer your title". Denis just sighs, "All right, I'll live with it. I brought you two here today to discuss two of your patrol officers". Chief Bogo just lifts his hoof. "Let me guess Daniel and Susan, right"? "Well you're not wrong, where did you find those two anyway"? "We didn't find them, they found us". "How so"? Daniel decided by the age of three he would be a cop, and I believe Susan was the same age, I haven't asked her though". Said Bogo. "well regardless, they have been on the force a total of fourteen months, and have made a big name for themselves, and my statement to you two is, “Special Investigators”.

Both Adrian Bogo and Mark Lister sit there with looks of shock on their faces. Denis sits there with a smug look on his face. “But sir”, sputters Adrian, “we can’t do that, they are junior officers, and have no experience”. “Adrian, they have proven to me, they are more than capable, and I want them to do this”. “But sir, that badge has only ever been handed out once before, and we all know how that ended”. “Yes, I’m well aware of how that ended, But, these two are different, they feed off of each other. They are the best team to work in the police force. Even their parents aren’t that good, though they are a close second”. “But sir, we will create resentment with other officers”. “Yes, I’m aware of how hard I’m making it for you two, and everyone else leading our forces, but I want those two to do this”.

“What if they don’t want to”? "What, you expect me to believe that"? "I have known Daniel quite a while, and I know he is not comfortable with that kind of power, he may refuse". "What about Susan"? "Like you said sir, they feed off of each other if Daniel refuses, then so will she". "Well that's a bit of a bug in the works". "we are going to ask anyway, it will tell us a lot about them, regardless of their answer”. “Yes, I can see that, I have fifty that says they accept with conditions”. Adrian says with a smile on his face. “I’ll take that bet Adrian; I say they will accept without conditions”. And I say they will refuse”. “Alright gentle mammals it’s a bet”.

We have our patrols switched up again. We are on the evening shift again. We work in the afternoon and patrol in the evenings. The hardest shift is midnight to early morning. That is the time everyone wants to sleep. We are not at peak performance in the early morning. We make some drug busts, and wonder why don't they just legalize drugs, and tax it? Then use the tax money to help those that need or want to get off them. But ours is not to question politicians, we just do our job, we do it even if we think it's wrong. We arrest a few drunks and they spend the rest of the night in the tank. Our patrol lasts a bit longer than usual due to some staffing snafu. We are done about eight when we are called upstairs to the commissioner's office.

We go up exhausted. Genie heads home. It’s been a long night. We stop by our office for coffee, Dad had made a pot, there was a note attached to it, "you might need this". We thank him through our link and head upstairs.

We find the commissioner's door locked; he pops out of another door. “This way you two”. We follow him down the stairs to the large conference room. As we enter, we see most of the captains from other precincts. "So, you're probably wondering why you are here, you are here because we want to give you something. Most around the table are in agreement, some aren’t, but have adopted a wait and see approach. We want to make you two the next “Special Investigators”. Susan and I were floored and sit down hard in the two chairs we had pulled out from the table. We were aware of what a special investigator was, this was taught at the academy as a cautionary story. We look at each other and talk fast. We thought we were fast, but about two minutes go by. Most hadn't seen us communicate non verbally, but for the ones who have, they just smile. A throat clearing brings us back to the room.

"Sorry sir, we were just talking". The ones that have seen us do this before, just laugh, the rest get a puzzled look on their faces. Chief Bogo speaks up, "This is classified Z.CIA level three, which we all have. Daniel and Susan can communicate without words, from the length of the conversation I just saw, I would say that they were arguing about the honor, am I right you two"? "Yes sir, you’re not wrong, this is a tremendous honor, and I have doubts about my ability to use this power properly. Susan was arguing that I could handle this, but we began to switch from I to us. We have doubts, but if, and I mean if, we accept this honor there will be a few conditions attached”. We hear groaning from around the room, Chief Bogo just gets a smile on his face. “What are the conditions attached to this honor”? Asks the commissioner.

“First condition: we do our investigations the way we see fit, we will stay within the rules of the police force, we will take direction from any of you, but if you tell us to drop it, it will have the reverse effect, it will make us look into it harder”. “Second condition: we chose what we will be looking into, that includes persons we feel are dirty”. “You mean as in police officers”? “Yes sir, politicians, and city hall as well”. “Third condition: we will assist any who ask for us, within reason. We will assist IA in their investigations, we will not step on their toes, by starting our own investigation, but if they ask us to look, we will”. With the three conditions stated I sit down.

“All right gentle mammals, you have all heard their conditions, by a show of paws, how many of you agree with what they have asked"? The majority rules, most in the room put their paws up. "The commissioner gets a grin on his face, "So when will you get back to me with your answer"? "We need a couple of days sir, we need to talk to our family and a special friend. All of the individuals in question will keep it confidential”. “A family decision eh? I can respect that; I look forward to your answer in a couple of days”. We knew a dismissal when we heard one. We get up and leaving the room, head home.

Grandma sees us come in dragging our tails, “Long night you two”? “Well the night wasn’t that long; it was the bombshell that was dropped on us after patrol”. I just hold up my paw, “We will talk about this around the supper table tonight, right now we need sleep”. “Not right now grandson and granddaughter, eat first, then you can sleep”. We bow to the inevitable and eat breakfast. John and Elisabeth join us in late breakfast, we banter with them for a few, then head for sleep.

We link and head for the meadow to talk to Gab. We arrive and before anything can be said, he pulls us both into a hug. “I’m so proud of you two, you have exceeded all of my expectations for you”. “But Gab I don’t think I can handle that much power”. “Can you help me Gab”? “Daniel, I told you once that those who seek power are more likely to abuse it, and those who shun power are likely to use it wisely. I still believe that you are one of the wise ones”. “But what about Susan”? “Daniel, Susan is your anchor, if you talk with her about everything, you both will not abuse power. She is the Yin to your Yang”. “What is yin and yang Gab"? "If you have read your histories fully, you would find it's an old Chinese philosophy. You would find the energies of the word in perfect balance. You both use these energies as a positive and a negative. When you use them in balance you can accomplish wonderful things". "So, can you be our moral compass"? "You don't need me to be your moral compass, you just need each other. But that's enough of this, you have to make your own decision, I can't help you with that. I see your tired, off to sleep you go". With that, he waves his paw, and we blink out. He smiles to himself and chuckles as he heads further into the meadow.

We wake up feeling refreshed, and raring to go. We Shower and kiss, and the shower becomes longer. We eventually leave the shower, dry our fur, and brush each other, I love touching her oh so fluffy tail. She giggles, "Control yourself Wilde mammal, more after our shift". We kiss and get dressed, and head out to the kitchen. Bonnie gloms onto us, and we just cuddle her. Eventually, we all sit down to supper. Dad looks at us with expectations in his eye and an inquiry in our minds. Susan and I just chuckle at him and tell him he will have to wait till after supper. His face falls, but he accepts it all in good fun.

The rest of the family stays at the table after supper, they are curious too. "Daniel, does this have something to do with all the captains in the precinct today”? “Yes, dad it does”. "Well, family this is an impromptu family meeting. Susan and I had a bombshell dropped on us after shift this morning. We have been asked by the captains of all the precincts, the Chief, and the commissioner if we would become "Special Investigators".

Dad, Mom, and Genie go into shock, and along with the rest of the family, we have empathy with. Grandma and grandpa just look at us quizzically. “Grandma it means we will have no limits on what we can investigate, we have free reign, we will become detectives of the first rank”. "Daniel, it means more than that, are you sure your up to it son"? "No dad, I'm not sure, that's why this meeting. We have been asked to do this as a team, Susan and I, and I'm just not sure".

Vivian just sits there and listens to what is said, we argue the pros and cons of what we were asked to do. After about twenty minutes, she speaks up. “I believe they can handle it, as long as they are together”. Everyone gets quiet and looks at her. “I believe they are perfect for the job, if they never lose sight of the fact, they need each other”. “But mom it means they can investigate anything at all, that’s a lot of power for ones so young”. “You worried for them, or yourself Nickolas”? Dad just shakes his head, “Remember what happened last time Daniel had power”? Dad turns to me, “I'm sorry son, I just don't trust you with that kind of power". Dad drops his head in his paws and softly cries. I get up and go and hold him. "I understand dad, I don't trust myself, without Susan by my side”. Dad just turns and brings me into a hug. Susan gets up and hugs him from the other side. Dad soon dries his tears. "All right son, if you decide the two of you can do this, I'll get behind you". "Thanks, Dad, that means a lot to us”. We look up at the tears around the table. We get agreement from the rest of the family.

Genie is still in shock when we start our patrol, she still hasn’t made up her mind. She asks us lots of questions and we discuss it most of the night. By shifts end, she’s on board with reservations. We had not stopped discussing it the whole night but had made our decision by shifts end. We find out from Clawhauser that the commissioner is in, so we head on up. We knock on his door, and hear the word "enter". We go in and the commissioner has size appropriate chairs in front of him. "Susan, Daniel, please sit, I wasn't expecting you till tomorrow. Have you come to a decision already"? "Yes sir, we have", I just hold Susan's paw, we’ll take the badges”. He gets a big smile on his face, “Good thing I had these made”.

He slides two boxes across his desk. We take them and open them. The badges aren't much different from the old ones, except they have the badge numbers 002 and 003, with our names across the top. On the bottom are the words “Special Investigations”. "thank you, sir,". "Don't thank me yet, you have just let yourselves in for a whole different world of hurt". "Sir"? "You will be hated by most of your fellow officers that don't know you. You will be looked upon as worst than IA. This was Warren's downfall. He couldn't handle the pressure". "But that's not what they teach at the academy". "No, it isn't, would anyone want the job if they knew the truth"? "Probably not sir". "Ok, so now that you have free reign, what would you like to do with it”. “Sir, I don’t believe we will change anything at the moment, we need to get our legs under us”. He chuckles, “yes I can see how overwhelming this can be, but I believe in you two, go on get out of here”. He says this with a smile.

We go back to our office and just hug. Soon we have an audience. We look up, and the clapping starts. We just stand there, dad and mom come over and hug us both. We lock our door and head for home. Clawhauser stops us as we start to walk out of the precinct with Genie. "Daniel, do you know what all that clapping was for". In answer, we pull our new badges out of our pockets. His eyes get big as his paws fly to his muzzle. "No way, I've never seen one of them, may I hold it"? In answer, I just lay it in his paw. "Wow, this is so cool you guys". He paws it back, and we all wave at him as we head for home.


	30. On the trail

We spent the next afternoon going through the property files, we were looking for an old building built about forty-seven years ago. We were looking for Carl's hideout. We found the building under the name "Carl Chapman". The building had recently burnt down, and no plans were filed to rebuild it. We checked out the site, and found the basement lab that we figured John had been "born" in. we found no clues, the storm had done a good job washing away the evidence. The broken equipment was still there, but it was a jumbled mess. We got some manufacturing info off the equipment, but we’re sure we would find little.

The warehouse was down on the flood plain, for the Onesie river. This river flowed into the continent from the mountains and went right by Bunny Burrow. This jived with what John had told us. The rapids that John went through were harrowing, even the rafting companies didn't go through them. We had a new respect for survival instincts. The other river that came out of the mountains, was redirected about thirty years ago to supply the Rainforest district and Tundra Town with water.

The rest of the evening was spent on patrol with Genie. We all got tangled up with a drunk rhino, some people just don't know when to quit. We ran circles around him, and he got so dizzy, that he fell. It took two of us holding his arms, for Susan to be able to put the cuffs on. We then call for a wagon to come and pick him up. We get a few more drunks, but none were as big as a rhino, most were very cooperative and did as we asked. This seemed was the night for drunks. We were all tired as we did the paperwork for the night. Clawhauser was just setting up for his day, as we all left for home.

The next afternoon Bobby comes to see us. “Hey Daniel and Susan, I have something strange for you. You remember that DNA sample I took of John, I got a hit, but that’s what makes it strange". He hands us the profile and has us bring up the identical one on our computer. We do a print out of the one on our computer and lay the transparency that Bobby handed us, on top of the printout, it's a perfect match except for the same five percent again. The computer printout has five percent, but the transparency has closer to ten percent of this strange DNA. The rest of the chart matches up perfectly.

“So, if I’m reading this right, John is a clone of this individual, who is still alive by the way”. Susan and I talk for a bit and then turn to Bobby. "Thanks, Bobby, I guess we have a new mystery on our paws". "Right what should I do with this file"? "Bobby can you bury it? we need time to investigate". "I won't bury it, I did list it as a dead body sample on the paperwork, I will leave it as such, and if you ever want to resurrect it, you can". "Thanks, Bobby, we owe you one". "Well now, maybe I can collect"? He holds up two empty blood sample vials and shakes them at us. Susan and I laugh as we roll up our sleeves to give him some samples.

We leave after we give the samples; we need to talk to this living donor. We find him in a private nursing home. Some of the staff are concerned, we are still in uniform. "Can we help you, officers"? "Yes, you can, we are here to see John Johnson". "That's strange you are only the second set of individuals to see him in the last six months, the last ones were a badger and a lion. John has no family, and his company has been after him to sell, are you here to get him to sell"? "No ma'am, we're here to talk to him about a body that was found after the flood, he appears to be the brother of this John doe”. The Nurses paws fly to her muzzle, “he has family”? “He did ma’am, and we need to talk to him about it”.

She leads us to the private side of the home. This side of the facility appears to have a nurse to patient ratio of one to every two patients. I think it's kind of wrong, but hey they are paying for this, but it is still not fair. Maybe they should live on the other side for a week, and find out how little help they get in the day. We are led to an old fox sitting in a wheelchair. I didn't know that there were any foxes in charge of any companies. We have a reputation for being shifty after all.

“Well officers, what has happened to my company now”? “Nothing sir, we are not here about your company, we are here about a deceased person that was found after the flood, he appears to have been your twin brother, we have a ninety-percent match to you, sir”. “I don’t have a twin brother, what are you playing at”? “Sir, we are not playing”, I show him the printout of his DNA and the transparency of John’s DNA. He puts them together and finds out for himself the match. “Well I know I had no brother, twin or otherwise, my mother died when I was born, I nearly died as well, I have been told, my father never remarried, so there is no way this could be my brother”. We could see the sincerity in his words. “Sorry sir, but we have to investigate the body”. “Since when do regular cops do investigations”? “We’re not regular cops sir”, we pull out our special investigation’s billfold and show him our badges, He just harrumphs. “Ok, so you’re not regular cops, it still doesn't explain why you are bothering me". "The body looks exactly like you sir, just much younger, we would estimate he was about ten years of age, could he be your son"? "Not likely officers, I had a vasectomy about twenty-years ago, so he can't possibly be my son, and I have been here for over ten years, and I would remember a liaison with some vixen".

"Have you had no visitors, sir"? "Except for my lawyers from the company, no. Oh wait, that's not true. I had a doctor and a nurse visit me about six months ago. I thought it was strange, this huge lion was a nurse to a badger. The doctor's name if I remember correctly was Madge, I never did get the nurse's name". "And what did they want"? "I'm not sure, they asked for a blood sample for some sort of study". I gave them the sample, they wished me well, and left, really strange if you ask me". We could tell this was all the truth, he wasn't hiding anything. "That you for your time sir, I hope you have a good day sir". "Well, I would if the vultures ever stop circling”. He laughs at his joke as we walk away.

We stop at the main desk on our way out. “Ma’am, Mr. Johnson had a couple of visitors about six months ago, a nurse and a doctor, do you have their names on record”? “Let me see...”, she types for a bit, “well that’s strange, we have a record of the visit, but there are no names attached to it. I will have to have a word with staff about this oversight, sorry I can't help you, officers". She puts a genuine smile on her face, we feel the truth of her statement. We thank her and wishing her a nice day head out.

What is Carl up to? We pondered this until we got to the precinct. Clawhauser stopped us and told us to go see the Chief. We walk into the chief’s office, the door was open, we close the door. "Ah there you are, I'm taking your rookie from you, I need your report on her conduct as soon as possible. I'm splitting the Wolford's up again, Lily will take Genie, Ralph will take Victor". "What brought this up, sir"? "Well, I felt you two needed a little room, I'm not taking you off patrols, but if you need to do something else just tell Clawhauser you have a code two-hundred". “Sir there is no code two-hundred”. “I am well aware of that, that is you telling me you are on an investigation, do I make myself clear”? “Crystal sir”. “Good what are you looking into right now”? “Sir we are looking into our newest family member, John. We found the person he was cloned from, and we are investigating that. We know this has ties to Carl and his secret lab". "Right, how much of a problem is this Carl”? “We’re not sure at this point sir, but we think he is a huge problem to the whole city”. Chief Bogo raises his eyebrows. “Chief, he had access to many advanced weapons, and tech, well advanced for us anyway, not sure if he can build any of it, but he might have brought some from the complex. We feel he’s not a stable individual”. “Right, find him, this should be your top priority”. “Yes sir, he is high on our list”. “Right keep me informed on your progress”. “Will do sir”, we say as we jump down and head out the door.

We check out the serial numbers from the equipment we found in the lab. All of the numbers come back as being sold second hand, all of the sales were for cash. No help there. They had all been delivered to the address of the burnt-out building. We lock the door to our office, and separating ourselves, go and look for Carl. After an hour of this, we find nothing, but we had not searched the whole city. We get up, unlock our door, and sit back down at the computers. The computers ping at us, we have a hit, on some of the chemicals used for a nutrient tank. But again, they were cash sales, damn this so frustrating. We then set new search parameters, looking for any sales of nutrient tank equipment and chemicals. Hopefully, he buys more, and we haven't missed his purchases already.

We head home at the end of the day, we put on our chipper masks as we come in the door. Who are we fooling? Our siblings that are home, just laugh at us. Our daughter greets us with hugs and kisses, and after a few goes back to playing the computer game with the rest. As a team, John and Elisabeth were beating up the rest of them in the game. We laugh at our daughter's frustration, but she is controlling herself well. We go and change out of our uniforms and head down for a swim. We relax in the hot tub and talk, but no new ideas come to us. We ask mom and dad through the link, but they have no ideas as well, we are at a loss, we drop it, for now, we turn and kiss, later we get out of the hot tub and take a long, long shower.

We check our computers in the morning, but no new alerts. We then head out on patrol. "ZP-18 come in". "Zp-18 here, what's up dispatch"? "ZP-18 you have a request for assistance at the corner of Main and Orchid in the rainforest district, at the Big City Bank”. “Roger dispatch, ETA thirty-five minutes”. “Roger ZP-18”. We wonder what this all about, but as we round the corner thirty-minutes later, we see the massive damage to the building. Police cars, fire trucks, EMT's, are all over the place, it looks like a bomb had gone off in the bank, but the hole was a perfect circle in the wall. There was no debris in the street, but there sure is a lot of dust. We park, and walk towards the bank. We get to the tape and in counter a problem.

“Go away rookies, no looky-loo’s ". We just stare at the mustang officer. "Sir we were requested to attend the scene". "Really and why's that"? we don't say anything as we pull out our badges and show him. He goes white and starts to stammer. "I'm s... sorry Sir, Ma'am, m…my mistake". He lifts the tape and allows us through. We walk up to the captain of precinct-three. “Good morning sir, what can we help you with”? He smiles down at us. “I believe this is right up your alley, follow me”.

We enter the bank through the hole in the wall. The lobby is a mess, we notice a table with a half-moon cut out of it. We walk around the table and standing back from it, manage to line it up with the hole in the wall. We turn around and look at where we think the shooter stood. "So, any ideas"? "Yes sir, but before we put through our theory, could you tell us what happened"? "Right, four mammals entered the building wearing masks and holding guns. The rhino had a big gun in his pads, we believe that this is what caused the massive damage to the wall. He fired the gun at the safe as well, and you can see the damage it caused”.

We look at the safe and can see the same half-moon was cut through the corner of the safe. "The robbers entered the bank shortly after the money was dropped off this morning. An employee saw them enter, and hit the button to close and lock the vault door. You can see that didn't stop them. They got away with all the money that was in there. They punched the hole in the wall, and escaped through it". How much did they get"? "Just over Five-million dollars, this was the bank's operation capital for the week, they still had some in there from last week, and are still tallying the total loss". We examine the cut through the vault with power. The edges positively glowed, we turned to the hole in the wall, it glowed as well. "Were you able to follow them with the jam cams"? "We did, we followed them out of rainforest district, and lost them as they left the city, the plates were stolen, so we assume the van was as well". Susan talks to William, and he agreed with us. “Can you tell us what you figured did this”? “We can sir, but you’re not going to like it, and it can’t go in the report”. “Why’s that”? “Sir, it’s a level two Z.CIA clearance”.

He raises his eyebrows. "Sir, this is a new weapon, we believe that it is a "Disruptor". "Disruptor, what's that"? "Sir, this weapon destroys matter on a molecular level, that’s why no debris just dust”. “That just sounds like science fiction to me”. “Yes sir, it does, but how else would you explain what we are seeing”? “I can’t, maybe a shaped charge explosion”? “That’s a good cover story, but you know it’s not that”. “How do the two of you know what this was”? “Sir we have access to information far above what is available to the general public, and we believe this is the work of a mammal we are chasing. He didn’t rob the bank himself, but he supplied the weapons that did. Our bother confirmed that this is what “disruptor” damage would look like”. “Your brother”? “Yes sir, we just asked him”. “Right, I remember, you can communicate nonverbally, with him as well”? “Yes sir, we can”. “Wow, am I glad you’re on our side”.

We take samples of the damage and the dust for William. We set up a story for the general public with the captain, and take our leave. Carl has just made it to the top of our list. Is his new base outside the city? We go to the office and start a property sales search; we extend to one-hundred miles outside the city. The bank footage comes to us later in the day, William watches it through us, as we play it. He can give us no new insights but confirms this is a "Disruptor". We talk to the Chief and play the video for him. He gets a hard look and tells us this is a code two-hundred and our top priority. We agree and leave his office. Of all the things Carl could have used, why did it have to be a "Disruptor"?

Over the next three weeks, three more banks are robbed, with the same MO. The public is still buying the story we had made at the first robbery. The business community is riding city hall, and they are riding the chief, who consequently is riding us. We are under a lot of pressure to solve this. We decide to set up a sting. We have the money deliveries altered, the other robberies all happened on a Monday, so we decide to set up, that only one bank gets money the next Monday. We set up, and wait. The next Monday it’s robbed.

The van pulls up to the westside of the bank, there is no door on that side of the bank. The robbery goes off without a hitch. The hole in the wall is smaller, but they escape in the dust. William riding his bike followed them from the air. We followed them on the ground. The chief was not happy we got William involved and pushed us to see when the new bikes would be ready. They switched vehicles four times, they never looked up at any time during the chase. They circled the city and re-entered in from the opposite direction. They made their way to an old warehouse down by the docks. S.W.A.T moved in on the warehouse. They were just they’re for containment, they were not to enter unless called for. Susan and I went in alone. The chief was not happy, but we were the only ones that knew what we were up against, and we didn't want anyone else getting hurt or "Disrupted".

William put us on the roof, and we snuck in through a roof vent. The perps were all on the ground floor with Carl. There were seven of them, no lookout, boy were they confident. The money was divvied up, with Carl getting the lion's share. Carl loaded his share into a car. We started to shoot the rest with tranks. Carl looked up and saw us. I shot at him but he jumped into his car and peeled out for the door. The door opened, and out he went. We weren't too concerned; S.W.A.T. was out there. We got all the rest, and the "Disruptor". I went to look it over with William in my mind. I pulled two components out of it and rendered it useless. The power plant was cold fusion, but it was much bigger than Williams. William asked if he could study it, I told him we would ask the chief.

We should have been concerned about Carl. When he turned onto the street and saw S.W.A.T. blocking it he took off, literally. He flew away, William gave chase, but when he was shot at with a PPC, he gave up the chase. The Chief was furious we had failed to catch him but calmed down a bit when we told him we got the "Disruptor". He didn't tell us, job well done, but we could see his relief that at least that weapon was off the street.

When we came into the house, mom and dad hugged us. Dad was concerned for us, but he wasn't worried. Our daughter glommed onto us and spent the rest of the night with us. She snuggled in between us as we all fell asleep together.


	31. Bike patrol

Captain Norton of the bike patrol division walks into his bullpen leading Scott. "Good morning gentle mammals. We have a treat for you today, some of you will be going with Scott here to learn how to ride the new bikes. Scott will be training the officers he chooses for the new bike division. I'm not sure how he will choose, Scott"? "Thank you, sir, Gentle mammals I will choose the ones I feel can understand how to fly a “Graviton bike”, the rest of you over time will learn on the “Ground huggers”, these are bikes that don’t go more then eighteen-inches above the ground, Questions”?

"Who will be teaching us"? "That would be me, sir". The whole bullpen laughs. "Your what? Five years old"? "Six actually". The whole bullpen laughs again, with some table slapping. The captain speaks up, "Sorry Scott, you see what I have to deal with"? "It's ok Sir, I'm used to mammals taking me at face value". Scott goes through the room and picks five mammals. He gets snickers as he does. "Right for the ones Scott has just chosen, you have the rest of the day off, pack a bag for at least a two-week stay, and meet back here a six-AM tomorrow. You will get regular pay for the duration. The rest of you have your patrol assignment, get to it, dismissed”.

As the captain and Scott walk back through the office, Scott feels the perfect candidate for the bike. He looks around and spots a Queen bobcat at the end of the aisle. She has a rear paw prosthesis. “Captain is there a story with that bobcat”? “Why yes there is, she was one of the best bike officers we had at the time. She was chasing a perp when he forced her off the road, she lost her hind paw in the accident. But with the prosthesis, she passed the physical but could not pass the bike test. You need your left hind paw to shift gears. She decided that if she couldn't ride a patrol bike, she would still work with bikes she rides an automatic bike". "Sir, I want her, you don't need both hind paws to ride a Graviton bike, do you think she would want to”? “You could ask, never hurts to ask”.

Scott goes over with the captain behind him. “Good morning ma’am, I’m Scott”. She smiles down at him, “well good morning to you too, what can I do for you”? “Ma’am I was wondering if you have heard about the new “Graviton Bike” that Wilde industries have developed”? “I have, but isn’t a bit of a pipe dream? I mean, come on, a bike that flies? Just seems a bit far fetched to me”. “Well I admit it does seem a bit far fetched, but it is real I assure you, and my question to you is, would you like to learn to drive one”? Her paws fly to her muzzle, “Are you serious? What about my disability”? “Not an issues ma’am, you drive the bike with your forepaws, not your hind paws. She gets a thoughtful look on her face. "Does this mean I get to go out on patrols again"? the captain speaks up, "it sure does". She starts to cry; and rushes from her desk and goes to the washroom. Scott and the captain just wait for her to return. She returns in a few minutes; she is composed. "Sir I would love to be on patrol again, are you sure I can do this"? "Well Scott here believes you can, and I trust his judgment". "Then yes I would love to learn to fly it". "that's good Ileana, you have the rest of the day off, be back here at six-am with a packed bag for a two-week stay". "thank you, sir". She grabs her purse and heads out the door. Scott leaves a few minutes later.

Scott shows up the next morning in a van big enough to pick everyone up. The officers throw their bags in the back and hop it. They all head for Wilde industries. When they get there, they are waved through security, Scott has the driver head for the hanger. They all bailout at the hanger and walk in with their bags. Ileana limps a bit but keeps up with the rest of the officers. They all walk towards the Pegasus -one. "Well lady and gentle mammals you are looking at the first "Graviton craft". This craft will soon be declassified, so no talking about it before it is. Mavis, could you open the hanger doors, and unlock the Pegasus, please"? “Roger pilot, is William going with you”? “No Mavis, he will follow us later, alright everyone into the craft and take some seats”. Scott can see puzzled looks around the group, but they all grab some seats. Scott fires up the power plant, and lifts the Pegasus off, going out and up to one-thousand meters. He turns the craft for the academy.

Wilde industries had bought the land next to the academy and built some offices, sleeping accommodations, and a hanger. This was the training grounds for the bikes, and cars when it got that far. As they travel, the officers were getting concerned. Scott flips the on autopilot and walks into the cabin. "Well I'm sure you have questions, so ask away". "Who's flying the craft"? "Well that would be me, we're on autopilot at the moment". "Who has certified you to fly this thing"? "Well, again that would be me, I certify all pilots, at the moment there are only two of us certified to fly the Pegasus. Myself and my nephew William". "So, you will be certifying us"? "If you pass the training, yes I will". "So, who certified you”? “Again, that would be me, I passed my test, "Trial by fire", you would say". "Where are we going"? "We are going to the Wilde industries training grounds, that are right next to the ZPD training academy. This area was chosen, as it was next to the academy and we could utilize some of their facilities”. So how long will it take us to get there”? an alarm goes off in the cockpit. Scott smiles at them, “We’re here now”. Scott goes in and taking off the autopilot, and prepares to land.

They all step out of the Pegasus, and Scott locks the door with his paw pad. They are amazed, it only took twenty minutes to cover the distance that would have taken three hours by train, and car. They all head in and Scott assigns them rooms. They unpack and head out after grabbing coffee, at the academy cafeteria. They then walk back to the hanger. “Welcome class, grab a seat and we will begin”. They all take seats, and Scott begins. "I realize some of you may have doubts about me, but I assure you I am well beyond my years in academia I have passed my grade twelve and am working on my aeronautics degree at the moment”.

At that moment the hanger door starts to open when it's wide enough William comes flying in, he does some fancy flying in the hanger and brings it down beside the podium. "Does someone have their ticket book on them? No, oh well, I guess we can't give him a ticket for stunting". The officers laugh, William just hugs Scott and turns to smile at the officers. "Class this is William Wilde CEO of Wilde industries". "Scott, how many times do I have to tell you, I'm not the CEO I'm just the head of the research and development division". "You could have fooled me nephew". A paw goes up, Scott points, "Yes"? "Why are you calling him nephew"? "Because he's my brother's kid". William and Scott look at each other and burst out laughing. Scott gets himself under control, "I guess you all need some answers, William is my nephew, my brother is thirty years older than me. Some of you know my brother his name is Nick Wilde". There are gasps around the room, "My mother is married to one Peter Howler. Vivian Howler is Nick's mom, so my last name is Howler. Wilde industries is controlled by all the Wilde’s, Howlers, and the O’Hare’s, it’s a family business.”.

"So, let's get this class started. As you can see, we have a circle behind me on the board. This a two-dimensional drawing showing the X-axis and the Y-axis. Everyone knows about this; you use it every day. If you lay the circle on the ground the y-axis is your left or right, the X-axis is forward or reverse. Are you all following me at the moment"? there are nods of agreement all around the room. "Now, this is where it gets complicated, we are adding a third dimension, the Z-axis. This is up and down. If you think of down, left, and back as the negative parts of the axis, you have your first direction. If I told you negative Y-axis two, and negative X-axis two, and negative Z-axis two, what direction would you be traveling"? "Ileana's paw shoots up, "Yes Ileana"? "You would be going back to the left and going down". "Very good did everyone get that"? This is what we will be practicing, when you all get better with this, we then will add degrees. You are all aware that a circle has three-hundred and sixty degrees to it, The X, Y-axis is one circle, and the Z-axis is another circle, and again it has three-hundred and sixty degrees. You are sitting at the junction of these three lines, on the X, Y-axis 0-degrees is always forward and on the Z-axis 0-degrees is straight up, everyone following so far"? Scott can see some puzzled looks around the room, but some of the officers get it, Ileana gets it with a big smile on her face. Scott paws out some papers with questions on it. "All right everyone, I do understand this is advanced math, and I know some of you were no good at math, but you need to understand this math to fly one of these bikes. Now take as much time as you need to answer the twenty questions in front of you, if you need scratch paper just raise your paw, and I will give you some, if you need help just ask William or myself. The circles will stay on the board behind me, they are great reference points”. Some ask for help, and by lunch, most have got it.

After lunch, Scott adds the degrees, and they practice that tell supper. They all take the five-minute walk over to the academy for supper. After supper, they study some more before lights out. The next morning, Scott and William lead the group to major Ursula, she puts a smile on her face, as she leads them all in calisthenics, with the academy cadets. Scot and William are exhausted as well, as their police officers, they all groan as they head back to the Wilde compound. They all clean up, have lunch, and spend the afternoon studying. This is the norm for the first week.

The second week they spend the time in the simulators. There are ten simulators in the next part of the hanger. Ileana by far is the best flyer, she had a spatial awareness second to none. Scott felt he would trust her to fly the Pegasus. The rest of the officers were good too, Scott chose well. The training extended one more week. They got to fly a double seater with Scott or William and the officers were given pointers by both Scott and William. The regs said they couldn’t fly the bikes (in city limits) except in pursuit, and emergencies, so they had to train with their new bikes on the testing track at the academy. They had many of the cadets and instructors watching them. Some even dreamed of bike patrol. "So, officers, I have passed you all". Scott says this as they stand at attention, and he hands out their "Graviton Bike" licenses. "now you have a choice you can take your new bikes back by road and air, or you can pick them up at the motor pool on Monday. Just remember you can’t fly them in city limits unless you are in pursuit”. No one says anything as they throw their bags on their bikes and fly away. Scott just chuckles as he unlocks the Pegasus and heads back for Wilde industries hanger.

The next week, Scott takes the next group for “Ground Huggers” training, most of the officers get the new bikes the first day, they just had to adjust to the fact that the bike didn’t lean, or have the feel of movement. After two days Scott certifies them to drive them. Again no one wants to wait for their bike, and all drive away.

From the Star-News

By Chris Beaverton

Well, it's happened folks, The Wilde industries have now got the "Graviton Field" bikes in production. It won't be long before we all get one. But sorry to say they are limited to eighteen-inches off the ground, what a bummer. I wanted to soar amongst the clouds, but alas that is not to be. But to ride one, yes, I still want to. they will not be for sale, but be on a lease agreement. The reason it's a lease agreement, is the fact of the systems, both electronic and mechanical. The company refuses to sell its rights to the equipment. The bikes will initially have a range of about five-hundred kilometers to a tank, and ten refuel stations will be set up around town. They run on a dried fuel pellet. This pellet costs about ten-cents and takes about ten of them to fill the tank. Wow, eh, one dollar a fuel up, it’s a far cry from the cost to fuel a hydrogen tank in your car or bike now. They have not set a time for when the “Graviton” car will go into production, But I still want the flying car. Tire manufactures are up in arms protesting the new bikes. But I can see tires going the way of my money on a Friday night, Hehe. The Z.B.P.D. or “Zootopia Bike Patrol Division” now has six of the Flying models and six of the "Ground Huggers". So, watch out criminals, you now can't get away from them. one follows from the ground, and one watches from the sky. More on today's top story page:2.


	32. Why do bad things happen to good people?

We all went shopping at the supercenter on Saturday. John needed clothes for school on Monday, so we all bought clothes, we had fun doing it. Elisabeth got a few fancy dresses to show off to John. We gave the supercenter conniptions; they had several people watching us, all the shifty foxes in the store. They confronted us after about ten minutes. The management blanched when dad, mom, Genie, Susan, and I show our badges and threaten them with a discrimination lawsuit. We were left alone, but they still watched us from a distance.

We have gotten no further at finding Carl; it's like he fell off the face of the earth. None of the serial numbers for the bills have surfaced; what's he doing with the money? by our estimates, he has over fifteen million dollars. We recovered just over seven-million dollars from all the robbers. We found out that there was only going to be one more job, then the robbers were going to disappear. They all thought they had enough to live out the rest of their lives in comfort.

The bike patrols went well; they teamed the "grounders" with the "flyers," which worked out well. The first chase that happened was caught on camera and played on media outlets. The overall chase count went down dramatically. With one watching from the sky, how could they possibly get away? After watching the video, most when the cops put on their lights, just pulled over and took their lumps.

Come Monday, Elisabeth and John just walked to school; they bantered back and forth but knew better than to do public displays of affection. But there were several who watched them closely. One watched them from a distance, with a stern look in his eyes. After they had gone by, he dials his phone and speaks softly to the person on the other end.

John fits right in with school work, his knowledge was given to him from Elisabeth, and she had been hiding the fact she didn't need to go to school, she could have passed her grade twelve, but she didn't know what to do with her life, so she went to school till she could figure it out. On the other hand, John was the teacher's pet; he had the correct answer for every question asked. Eventually, they stopped asking him and moved on to the weaker ones.

Later on, Friday, as they're walking home, they are confronted by three individuals who came out of the alley. "Well, what we have here, boys, the freak, and the teacher's pet." "Dudley Bearsden, what do you want"? The brown bear and his wolf buddies sneer at her. "Why freak, why don't I pull your ears off? That would improve your looks." "Just try it, Dudley; you'll find out how defenseless I am." "Naw, I'm not going to hurt you; he is." He points behind her. Both John and Izzy look, but no one is there. They turn back just as a couple of fists plant into their muzzles. They go down. The two wolves jump on them both and proceed to hit them about the face.

John barks with anger and goes savage on them. He manages to get the wolf off of himself by breaking his arm. He then turns to the one on Izzy. He strikes him and breaks his muzzle. He is ready to go after Dudley when he is tranked. Izzy is tranked as well by the same wolf who had stood up behind them both. They are both lying there when the wolf picks them both up by the scruff of the necks and whispers into their ears, "give my regards to Darwin when you see him." With that, he throws them into the street right in front of a bus.

The bus slams into them, and they fall and are rolled under the bus. Both their arms and tails are broken, there isn't much blood, but they are trapped under the bus. The driver calls 9-11 and gets an ambulance there. He looks under the bus and sees them. He shakes his head and thinks, "they’re goners for sure." He looks over to the alley he is beside and sees three wolves running away and a brown bear standing there with his paws to his muzzle and a shocked look on his face. "Hey, you, stay right there." Dudley comes out of his shock, looks at the driver, and turning, starts to run as well.

We are just starting our afternoon patrol; we had switched it up today. We weren't sure why; it just felt right. We feel both John and Izzy scream; I was convinced that anyone in the area heard them as well. Just before the scream stops, we pinpoint it to a couple of blocks away. I hit the lights and siren; Susan hits the accelerator. “ZP-18 to dispatch, 10-17 to the accident scene on dogwood and 10th”. “WHAT, how did you know"? ZP-18 contact detectives Wilde and send them over as well". "Roger ZP-18 is there a reason"? "Roger dispatch, our sister Izzy and John have been hurt in an accident." "10-4 ZP-18 sending them now". Susan rounds the corner. We come to a screeching halt in front of the bus. "Dispatch ZP-18, 10-64, two victims, also 10-23, 10-76, and 10-32 for crowd control. “Roger ZP-18”.

I run to the front of the bus and look down. I crawl under as far as I can; I can reach them both. Both have a concussion, some broken bones, bruises, cuts, and lacerations. I crawl back out and look at Susan. We can hear the ambulance arrive. We link and pour power into a stand to lift the bus. Susan crawls underneath; with both of us using power, I grab the bus's bumper and lift it. There are gasps from all the people watching. Susan crawls out from under the bus, dragging both John and Izzy. The clapping starts as I drop the bus and collapsed to the ground. The EMS come out of their shock and help both John and Izzy. Susan rolls over to me and gives me enough power to stand; we are both shaking as we stand up. The clapping begins again.

Mom and dad show up as the ambulance drives away. They rush to us. "Daniel, what happened"? "Dad, John, and Izzy were tranked and thrown under the bus." "Your sure they were tranked"? "Dad, I have been tranked enough to be able to feel it; someone just tried to kill my sister and brother. Go, dad, they are on the way to the hospital right now; Susan and I got them out from under the bus". Dad asks us if we're sure we think back, yes. They jump back into their car, and with the lights and siren going, head for the hospital.

We secure the scene and wait for forensics. We take witness statements as we wait. Two other offices show up and do crowd control. While forensics does their job, we search around and find several shops with CCTV cameras that could have possibly seen what happened. All the shop owners gave us copies of their cameras for the last two hours. We note the jam cams in the area. We are as thorough as we possibly could be. When we have all that we can gather, we remove the crime scene tape, thank the bus driver for his patients, and get into our car and drive to the hospital.

“Good evening Zootopia I’m Peter Moosebridge," “and I'm Fabienne Growler Our top story tonight is a question, Does Super mammal exist? We have a shaky video of the impossible. Earlier today, a couple of kits crossing the street were hit by a bus. The driver, when asked, said they flew out of the alley in front of his bus. We believe it's a sketchy story, but that was only part of the story.

As you can see by the video, the attending officers did the impossible, one crawled under the bus and the other one lifted it. We know adrenaline in time of stress can do amazing things, but he lifted the front of a city bus for gosh sake, and he’s just a small fox. The other officer then proceeded to drag the victims out from under the bus. He dropped the bus, and proceeded to do his job just like it was nothing to lift a bus”.

“Wait a minute Fabienne…. I just received an update" Peter lifts one hoof to his ear. "The kits he lifted the bus off of were his sister and brother. The officer's names are Daniel and Susan Wilde; their parents are Nick and Judy Wilde. Wow, that's a couple of names I haven't heard in a long time. His parents are the cops from the night howler incident. Heroism must run in their family. We wish the family well and hope the kits are not too badly hurt. Now for the rest of the news…”.

Susan and I arrive at the hospital; Davis meets us at the emergency entrance; he takes us to a private waiting room. The whole family is in this room. We all get in a pile and hug each other. "Davis, how are they"? "Daniel, I won't lie to you; they're not doing well. They both have broken arms and tails and several deep gashes, but the worst injury was their heads being hit by the bumper. I had to give them several pints, each of the artificial blood. When I got them stable, they were rushed into surgery. They will be putting shunts into their heads, setting the bones, and stitching the gashes closed. All we can do now, family, is pray". Bonnie sniffles, "Does anyone know a good prayer"? "I know an old one," I say. I get an affirmation from the whole family to say it, so I begin, “Our Father who art in heaven…”.

After a few hours of waiting, we all fall asleep. Susan and I may have had a paw in that. There comes a knock on the door, just after Two-AM. Davis jumps up and answers the door. "may I come in"? asks the surgeon. Davis motions him in as we all wake up. "well, it's been touch and go; they both died twice on the operating table. We have done all we can for the moment. If they make it through the next twenty-four hours, they should survive, But I'm sorry everyone, they are on ventilators at the moment, and I fear they are in comas as well. We have done everything we can at the moment". "Can we see them"? asks mom through her tears. "Yes, you all may, but only three at a time please, and no more than five minutes for each group."

Mom, dad, and grandma go first, followed by the rest of the family, Susan Bonnie, and I go last. They are lying on their backs with their tails down between their legs. Their tails are in removable splints. Their arms are cast, and they have bandages everywhere. Their heads are surrounded with bone stabilizer cages to keep their heads in the right shape, and they are wearing neck braces to keep their heads immobile. I go and lay my paw on Elisabeth when I seem to get sucked into her mind. Susan grabs my arm when I stop moving, and she gets sucked in as well.

We witness their last moments of consciousness. We watch the wolves beat on them, and John break the arm and muzzle of those two. John gets a good look at the perp that tranks them. I try to memorize that face. But when he said, "Give my regards to Darwin when you see him," that just made me see red. We watch the bus come at them and feel their pain as the bus runs them over. Susan and I come back to ourselves, "Thank you, Izzy, John, we’ll do all that we can." As our final gift to them before we leave, we push their beds together and gently put their paws together; it just felt right to do so. As we go, we ask the ICU nurses to leave their paws together, they may not be aware of anything else, but they would be aware of each other. The doctor hearing this makes a note on their charts to do so.

We all take our leave of the hospital and head home. Peter loads up as many of the family as he can in his car, mom and dad, Susan and I take the rest in the cruisers. We park the cruisers in the VIP section and head into the lobby. Wallace is staffing the desk. Wallace looks at dad, “If I could ask, how are they? I just heard about it on the evening news". Dad sighs, "They're doing as well as can be expected, Wallace, but we just don't know at the moment, if they make it through the next twenty-three hours, they should be out of the woods." "That's good to hear, would you mind if I pray for them"? Dad shakes his head no, as we all proceed to the kiosk.

When we show up at the precinct the next morning, we head directly for Chief Bogo's office. Before we can knock, we hear the word "Enter." The chief looks up at us as we enter and shut the door. "Daniel, Susan, I didn't expect you in today; how are they"? "they're doing as well as can be expected sir, if they get through the rest of the day, they should make it." The chief's face falls, "so what are you doing here? You should be at home with the rest of your family". "chief, we are here to start a task force; we want the bastard who did this." "And who would that be"? "That would be the wolf who calls himself after a movie character, "Don Corleone."

“SCAT Daniel, you don’t pick small ones, do you? How do you know he’s behind it”? "Elisabeth, while in a coma, showed us the last few minutes before the accident. The wolf that tranked them told them to give his regards to Darwin. Darwin was the son of the Don, and we're sure he's behind it". "You know we need real proof, don't you"? "Yes, sir, hence the task force. We have had a friend look into his past exploits, and we need to start putting it all together". "All right, when would you like to do this"? "We would like to start tomorrow at nine." "Do you know who you need and want"? "Yes, sir," I say as I hand him a list. "This is not complete, but it will do for a start." "Right, I'll get this started; as for you two, take the rest of the day off, be with your family. I do want your report on the incident on my desk sometime tomorrow". “Thank you, sir,” we say as we exit his office.

We spend more time in the hospital with them; they appear to be a little better than this morning. Mom and dad spent the rest of the day in the hall, looking in on them through the observation window. We drag them home for supper. After supper, we inform mom and dad; they are on the task force. When they find out who we are investigating, they jump up and tell us they are ready to go. We ask them to sit down; things don't start to proceed tell nine in the morning. They sit down, but we can tell it's hard for them; they want that bastard too.

_"Welcome, John and Izzy, good to see you again." Says the comet who stopped in front of them. John is just trying to take it all in. "Are we dead, Ockny"? "No, you are not dead, Izzy." "Are we dying"? "Only if you want to pass on through the next veil, but I thought you wanted to learn"? John speaks up, "Sir, where am I, and who are you”? Ockny laughs, “I’ve forgotten you haven’t been in front of me before. I am the judge, jury, and executioner of souls, and this is a representation of the weight station. I weigh the souls that come to me and pass them on or throw them to the far reaches of the universe to make their way back to understanding. This is what your limited minds can comprehend”._

_“I judge all souls, and I find the soul in front of me pure." "Soul sir, as in singular not plural." "Well, yes, Izzy gave you half of her soul, so the two of you are linked; you are one soul." "But how is that possible? And what is a soul"? "I forgot you are new to this. A soul is the life essence of all living things; it allows you to learn and grow. The soul is the spark, and life is the oxygen, and living is the fuel source that allows you to grow. Some burn brightly throughout their whole lives. While others burn hot and fast and burn out quickly, and some never burn at all". "So, which one are we"? "Ah, that's the question, isn't it? Do you both wish to learn"? John looks at Izzy; they talk for a few seconds and turn back to Ockny. "We wish to learn they say together." Good, will you make me the same deal as Susan and Daniel did"? Again, they look at each other, Izzy tells the agreement as she knows it, and they agree. "Yes, Sir, we do; what will we be learning"? "You will be learning the ways of power the same as Daniel and Susan, but you will be learning other things as well, so shall we begin”?_


	33. Hard tasks

We go the next morning and see both of them with mom and dad. No change. We then head for the precinct and take over conference room one. We bring several files down from our office and lay them out. Shortly before nine, the rest of the personal we had requested walk in. We hug Kathy and give her a chair and a file; she sits down and starts to look over the file.

"Welcome, everyone, glad you could all make it. We will be starting shortly". "Why are we here"? asks the detective from precinct-four who had been investigating the Corleone's. "Well, sir, it's like this, we are going after the Don." He gets a scared look on his face but hides it almost immediately. I think we have just found Don's informer.

?We start looking at the support for the Don. We look into his businesses, his finances, the personal that surround him, his friends, and we find his real family. The detective from the fourth precinct gets a scared look on his face, pretending to be sick, leaving the room; Susan follows. The detective gets about halfway down the hall and pulls out his phone. Susan walks up behind him, "Are you, ok sir"? He turns, shocked; Susan is right behind him. Susan turns on the signal jammer in her pocket; it doesn't have much range, but enough so he can't make a phone call. "why don't you put your phone away, Sir? We need to talk." He notices he has no bars on his phone, so he slips his phone back into his pocket.

"what do you want? "officer," I don't know why you are even in on this." "Sir, I am in on this as I was one of the "Officers" as you put it, who organized this task force." "You want me to believe that you are going to bring down the Don"? "Yes, sir, we will." "Right, a bunny, don't make me laugh." "Sir, if he had just left my family alone, we would not have trouble ourselves with him, but he made it personal by hurting my sister and brother; therefore, we are going to put a stop to him.". "what did he do to you"? "He had my family members thrown under a bus, all for his misguided idea that he needs revenge on my family for the death of his son."

"Who are you"? "Oh, sorry we've never met before; I'm Susan Wilde, the one Darwin tried to rape at the academy." The detective gets a shocked look on his face, "Sir, I know you work for the Don." He starts to laugh, "Me, work for the Don? how ridiculous". He says this, reaching for the concealed trank gun he carries. "Sir, kindly put your paws where I can see them, and no sudden moves." He tries for the trank gun, thinking he was fast, but Susan knocked the gun out of his paw as he drew it and slammed her other paw in his solar plex. He now has a hard time breathing as Susan cuffs him. "Sir, you are under arrest, you have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can be used….”. I come out and help get him to his hind paws after Susan finishes reading him his rights. We bring him back into the conference room and sit him down in a chair, still cuffed.

Some are shocked, but most have a hard look in their eyes as I show him the paper with his bank records. He craters as I show him his account plus the one he thought was secret. Chief Bogo is called to come and attend the task force conference room. The chief gets a look in his eye when he looks at the detective in the chair; he had been on the case of the Don for twenty years now. In the chief's eyes, nothing is worse than a dirty cop. We take him to interrogation; we talk to the chief in the observation room. He's not happy but agrees with us. We go in to speak to the former "Detective."

“So, Roger, oh sorry, can I call you Roger"? "You can call me anything you want; you damn fox." He looks at Susan and me with murder in his eyes. We laugh at him. "You'll have to better than that to get a rise out of me, Sir. Now shall we talk about the Don"? "You can talk about whatever you like, doesn't mean I have to answer you." "Your right, but you need to think this through a bit; we are going to confiscate all your bank accounts, this will leave your wife with nothing, and I'm sure you don't want to do that." "What are you offering"? "We are offering to leave the main bank account alone; we will take the hidden one as the proceeds of crime. We will also accept your early retirement from the force. You will still get your full pension. "That's it? Not much of an incentive". "Well, it's better than your wife being destitute, and you in jail for life, and make no mistake about it, we want you to refuse the deal." "So, what do you want”? “We want everything you have on the Don, all the files you doctored and covered up." "Right, I won't live long after that; he'll find me, and I'll be dead in a week." "That may be so, but your other option leaves you in the general population of the prison, how long do you think you would live after the prisoners you put away find you"? He deflates a bit, "All right, I'll play ball, but my wife never finds out." "We can do that, but you need to tell us everything."

Susan stays and asks the questions, and I go to talk to the chief. I'm sitting in his office, with the door shut, and Rick's new countermeasures in the wall. "Sir, he is giving up the Don as we speak." Without a word, the chief reaches into the bottom drawer of his desk, and pulling out the bottle that is there and two glasses, pours himself a stiff one. He offers me a slug as well, but I politely refuse. “Damn it, Daniel, he was a good detective, dirty, but good. How many of his cases are compromised, I wonder,"? He says as he takes a drink. "we’ll find out, sir, you know we can." "I want him behind bars; that deal was just too good for him." "It is, Sir, and I would like to see him behind bars as well, but all the cases from the last thirty years that he worked on will come back to haunt the force if we didn’t give him that deal. As it is, Susan and I are going to have a hard time straightening out this mess”. “Right, do you have to do it alone"? "No, Sir, we don't, but the fewer people who know, the better, it is for the force. Susan and I will go through all his cases and right the wrongs. It will take us some time to make sure justice is served". "Yes, I can see that, but I wish you didn't have to do it." I get up and leave his office. I leave the countermeasures for him, "I have more of them," I tell him.

I go to Susan and I's cold case office and pull up all the files Roger had worked on for the last thirty; I load them in a laptop and take it back down to interrogation and hand it to Susan. I then head back up to our task force. I wrap things up with the task force for the day, saying we should have more info in the morning. No one asks where this new info is coming from, but most have an idea. I then grab some coffee from our office, get lunch from the cafeteria for the three of us, and head back to interrogation. We spend the rest of the day and part of the night in interrogation; I get supper for the three of us from the café down the street. All in all, most of his cases were done right; only the ones concerning the Don were compromised. We left him in a solitary cell for the night.

The next morning, we hand Kathy some more info on Don's compound, Sentries, cameras, motion sensors, she goes back to planning our attack faze. We had the task force some of the information we received from Roger. We fool no one with the new info. They know where we got it. When the rest of the task force finds out about the deal, they're mad but can see why we did it, but they still thought it was too lenient. We get a call from Clawhauser about a witness wanting to talk to us.

We go down to the lobby. The witness has something to do with the Don but has more to do with our sister and brother. The Bearsden family is at the reception desk in the lobby. "We have come today, officers, so our son can get something off of his chest." We can see Dudley is scared, and we project calm to him as we all walk to interrogation. We read Dudley his rights, but as he is a minor, we can't arrest him, but he doesn't know that. He wrings his paws as we sit down. He won't look at us. He stares at the tabletop. He looks at his dad, and his dad motions him to tell. He looks up at Susan and I and tells us his story.

"It was about a month ago when two wolves approached me as I walked home from school. I am very insecure in my skin, and I just longed for friends, but I'm timid, but these two wolf kids made me believe in myself". "Do you know their names, Dudley"? "Yes, they called themselves David and Darwin; I thought they were my friends." He breaks down and cries for a bit. We continue to project calm to him. After a bit, he continues. “They brought me to their home, we played several video games and had snacks; I even had a sleepover with them. Their parents were amicable; Donald and Donna fed us with some meat, chicken, I think, I had never had meat before". "Sorry, officers, our family is vegan." Says Dudley's dad. "Anyway, continue, please, Son."

"Well, after a few weeks, they started to get more aggressive, and because I was their friend, so did I. We bullied some smaller kits on the street, nothing too bad, mostly name-calling. But two days ago, things went bad; they beat on two of my classmates. They told me we wouldn't hurt them, but they did hurt them. They threw them under a bus. They promised me we would hurt no one". He starts to cry; his mom and dad hug him. "Continue, please, son." He gets himself under control and begins again. "I stood there in shock as Darwin and David ran away with their dad. The bus driver yelled at me to stay, but I ran too, I was so scared. I went home, but my mom and dad knew something was up, but I told them nothing. I went the next day to their house, but they weren't there, in fact, the house was empty”. "where was this house, Dudley"? "Twenty-three-forty-two sycamore. When I found it-empty, my gut started hurting me, and I felt betrayed. When I got home, I told my parents everything, they were shocked, and I never felt lower than when I saw the look of disappointment in their eyes. I knew I had to do the right thing, so here I am, do with me as the law allows". With that, he hangs his head and softly sobs and cries.

“Dudley, we appreciate your candor, and we forgive you for hurting our sister and brother." All three of them look at Susan and me in shock. "Dudley, we are Elisabeth and John’s older siblings Daniel and Susan Wilde. They are not doing well, but they are out of the woods; they are on ventilators and in comas. We don't blame you; you were dragged into something that was put in place by an individual who has a hate-on for Susan and I. I'm sorry you were dragged in, and I'm sure you have learned something from this, don't look down on individuals smaller than you, they may surprise you". Dudley starts to outright ball his eyes out. We both reach across the table and hold his paws. His parents hold him tight; after a while, he stifles his sniffles and looks up at us, "What happens now"? "Nothing Dudley, Susan, and I feel you have learned your lesson; nothing can be accomplished by putting you in the system, go home, try to do one good deed every day for someone else." With that, we stand up, they stand up, and we all exit interrogation. Susan and I grab the recording of the interview, and we head upstairs.

I draw all the wolves that Dudley had shown me. The male matches the wolf Elisabeth had given me. They are passed around, but no one knows them. Roger didn't recognize them either. Roger had agreed to stay in holding; his wife was informed he was undercover. The house address came back to one of the Don's holding companies. He had quite a few of them. Follow the money. It always leaves a trail. We find the second mole that the Don had in the force. He wasn't as lucky as Roger. He was just a lowly beat cop who accessed files he shouldn't have; he was already under investigation by I.A. he had been on the force for only five-years. He hadn’t had a chance to doctor anything for the Don. I.A. threw the book at him.

By the end of the week, we are ready to move. Kathy had devised a plan but had to change it when we gave her new info, she wasn't happy, but the information made her plan better. It was the dark of the moon, perfect for the project. Ileana flew a motley grey and black camo "Graviton Troop Carrier" to Don's Property. It was a bare-bones "graviton Craft." It had long center axes, with seats attached to the sides. It was all open. She landed the craft in the gardens; the tack team members fanned out while she sat there. She brought up her trank gun and kept a lookout. After a few minutes, tack team members started to come back with the sentries. The sentries were strapped into the craft. Ileana bounced the vessel up and over four blocks and dropped them off for the wagons. She then went back to the center of the garden. In case a quick escape was needed for tack team members.

Meanwhile… I come up to the sentries at the main gate. "Hello, I need to speak to the Don." "Go away, fox, your trespassing on private property." "Just call the Don, my name is Daniel Wilde, I'm sure he will want to talk to me personally." The sentry is unsure, so he calls. I can hear the exuberance in Don's voice as the sentry holds the receiver away from his ear. They unlock the gate and allow me in. They do a strip search of me and usher me into the study of the Don. He's sitting there behind a big old oak desk and leaning back in his chair; he smiles at me.

"So, the fox walks in the wolves' den; you know you are a dead mammal, right"? "You may believe so, sir, but no, that's not true; in actuality, I'm here to offer you a deal." He laughs, "What can you offer me that I can't take"? "Sir, I can't offer you much if you had just left my family alone, and If you had just accepted the fact that Darwin had died by misadventure, we would not be having this conversation now. But because you involved my family, I want to see you behind bars, but to be fair, I have a deal for you". The Don laughs again, "Let's hear what you are offering; I'll decide then."

"Option "A" you hand over the three wolves involved in the attempted murder of my family member, the ZPD confiscates your bank accounts, and you walk away. Option "B" you hand over the three wolves involved in the attempted murder of my family members, you lose all your money, and you go to jail. Option "C" we take the wolves involved with the attempted murder of my family members, you lose all your money, including the offshore accounts, you go to jail for the rest of your life, and your family is arrested as well. The ZPD feels we are fair, "Freddie Freakin." The Don had been laughing the whole time I was listing his options, but when I said his real name, he stops laughing.

How do you know my name”? “I know a lot about you Fred, I imagine a lot of connotations of you name in high school, and I can see why you would change your name, but come on, a movie name? Well, you know, what's in a name"? he stands up and slams the top of his desk. "You smug little bastard, what do you know? I lived most of my life as "Freaking Freddie" I hated it. The first chance I got, I changed it. This conversation is over. I'm taking option "D." "And what would that be, Sir"? "Option "D" would be me killing you and getting my revenge for my son." "That's not a very good option, sir; it still leaves you with nothing." "Your right, but you get to pay." The door had quietly opened up behind me, and four of his goons had come in. "Kill him, boys," he says as he ducks behind his desk.

I jump out of my chair and, going to the primal side of my brain, project savageness; I then go on the attack. They can see my eyes and feel my savageness, and they are shocked. This is all the advantage I need. I throw the chair at two of them and boost it with power. They try to deflect it, and the one on the far left gets his arm broken. At the same time, I chop the paw of the one on the right; he drops his gun as his wrist goes snap. The next one on the left points his gun at me, and I kick it up as it goes off. I then jam my paw in his solar plex. He falls back, trying to catch his breath. I catch the gun on the way down. I grab the arm of the one to the right of him and, using it a leaver, slam my hind paws in the side of the one on his right. I break a few ribs; he drops his gun. I start to grab guns and unloading them, throw the gun one way, and the clips the other. The first one has picked up his weapon in his off paw, and smiling at me, pulls the trigger. The look of shock on his face as the gun just goes click was priceless. I kick the gun out of his paw and break his other arm. I then pick up his gun and do the same to it as the others.

After hearing nothing, the Don slowly raises himself, he had been looking over the edge of the desk, and he has a gun pointed at me. His goons are all looking at me from the floor. "Well, I'm impressed; where did you learn to fight like that"? "Doesn't matter, sir, it's over." "Really? Who has the only gun pointed at you"? "Won't do you much good, sir; go ahead, pull the trigger." I just stand there, with my arms crossed over my chest. "If you say so," he pulls the trigger; at the same time, five bullets hit the bulletproof windows behind him. Nothing happens except he hears a click. I smile at him as I start to walk over to him. He pulls the trigger five more times, then throws the gun at me. He pushes a button on the desk, and a hole opens up under him. It closes before I can jump it. I speak into a cufflink. "Coming at you, Susan."

“What happened”? he thinks as he runs down the tunnel on all fours. It's about a half-mile jog down the tunnel to the end. He gets there and gets up on his hind paws. He puts his front paws on his knees, breathing hard. Eventually, he stands up, and entering the code in the door, enters the garage. This was his escape plan; the tunnel was built from his mansion to the house on sycamore. He enters the garage and gets behind the wheel of the car that is there. He opens the garage door as he hits the key to start the vehicle. The vehicle winds over. As the door gets high enough, he can see a bunny standing in front of him bathed in some lights from the curb. She is holding a gun on him and the car's spark distribution system in the other. "Sir, you are under arrest; move from the car, and get down on the ground." He does as she asked. "Put your paws behind your back." He complies, and Susan walks over. He jumps up, thinking to surprise her, she is smaller than him. He just stares down at the dart that sprouts in his chest.

The rest of the night is spent going through the mansion; we find the secret panic room and convince the wolves to come out. Susan had joined us all at this point. We arrest the wolves involved in our family member's injuries. We found it was a family of wolves that worked for the mansion as cleaners. Someone had tried to erase the computers of the mansion compound, but the I.T. department foiled that. We found a lot of information on the other crime bosses in Zootopia, including Mr. Big. The next day we arrest all his lawyers working for him. We start an investigation on all his lawyers, looking for more than just the fact, they worked for him. Two of them had defrauded clients of money. The rest turned on Freddie for immunity from prosecution. They were all sitting in jail cells beside Freddie. He doesn’t have far to go to talk to one of his Lawyers.

On Saturday, we are all visiting Elisabeth and John when their monitors go crazy, and they start convulsing. The doctor and nurses rush in. Dad just holds mom with tears in his eyes. "It's ok, mom and dad, they are getting better." They look at us; we all have smiles on our faces. They look back in as the heart rate monitors go back to normal, and they stop convulsing. The ventilators have now been removed; they are breathing on their own. We show mom and dad how to check with their new abilities, and they are amazed. The next day, they are moved from ICU to a regular ward, and mom and dad spent most of the day with them holding their paws.


	34. Night Howlers again

We have a few good weeks; we build a solid case against the Don. He now has a public defender; none of his lawyers would defend him now that he had no money. The mansion was in foreclosure and the Z.P.D. The auction of the house and all the household goods was going well; it’s amazing what people would buy online sight unseen. Wilde holdings purchased the home on sycamore; the tunnel was filled in, the house was cleaned up, and sold to a friendly family of red deer.

There was no improvement in Elisabeth or John, except that they were maturing in the coma like us. Susan and I wonder what they are learning. Mom and dad had them moved to Mercy General. They were being studied just like Susan and me. For all his misgivings about John, Dad was the first to shout with joy when John’s arm moved of its own accord. Elisabeth’s moved a bit as well. They were put on the “Stim” suits, so their muscles didn’t anthropeia. It’s a lonely Christmas without Elisabeth and John, but we all buck up and make the best of it.

Genie had a love interest, but she would tell no one about him/her. All of us respected her privacy, except for mom; she was always pushing her to tell her who he/she was. When mom would ask, Genie would just laugh, kiss mom, and leave the room. Mom was not versed well in finding things out emotionally. This frustrated her to no end.

Just after Christmas, we were called into Chief Bogo’s office, with mom and dad. The Chief puts his paperwork down and looks at all of us as we enter his office. “Close the door, Wilde.” Not sure who he’s asking to do it, so I close the door. “this is a meeting I hoped never to have. We have two new night howler cases. We have received a demand in the mail, stating to release Bellwether, or there would be more incidents with predator and prey”. This is a top priority for the four of you, Wilde’s, you have the most experience with night howlers, Daniel, Susan follow their lead. Clawhauser has the file. Get it from him. Need I remind you to keep it on the down-low? Try to keep it out of the media. Dismissed”. He goes back to the paperwork in front of him and says nothing else to us. We feel what he’s feeling and agree; none of us are ready for this again. The Chief deflates on the inside as he puts his hoof to his forehead and thinks, “I'm getting too old for this scat."

Mom and dad aren't much better, but they firm up their resolve and think to us, "Let's do this." We get the file and head for our office. We lay the file on the table, go to the Zootopia map, and plot where the two attacks occur. We converse silently but can see nothing. The note the precinct received was pasted words from a cut-up newspaper. But the strange thing was the paper was old and yellowed, like an old newspaper or magazine.

The Wolfstein’s were brought to precinct one; the boys David and Darwin and their younger sister Annabelle were with social services; they were just under the limit for young offenders. We were questioning their parents when their lawyer showed up; Cindy walked in. "Right, my clients will be answering no more questions at this point; we need to discuss some things. Can you officers leave us alone please"? we smile at Cindy, and she smiles back; we leave the room.

"So, Donna and Donald, can you tell me why did you do it"? Donald speaks, "We have no lawyer; who are you"? "Why I'm a lawyer who saw your plight and felt I could help you, and you do need a lawyer; you are both facing some pretty serious charges; my name is Cindy P O'Hare." "We can't afford to pay you; we have no money." "That's ok; I'm doing this pro bono." "Can we leave my wife out of this? She had nothing to do with what happened; I did it all".

"Very noble, sir, but Dudley Bearsden told me that you were both at the house on sycamore. She was aiding in the setup of Dudley”. “Yes, we were both there, but the Don had our daughter and threatened to hurt her if we didn’t do as he asked." "So, you did this under duress"? "Yes, I did; when we went out that afternoon, he handed me the trank gun and told me what to say to them. He threatened me with my wife and daughter if I didn't do as he asked. I didn't know it was a revenge thing; I probably would not have done it". "Well, it's done now, and we have to deal with the aftermath. Do you have any proof of what you are telling me"? "No, I don't. I'm sure I was to be caught. With me out of the picture, he would have taken my wife; he was always leering at her". "Right, I need statements that I can take to the DA, would you be willing to give me some"? Both the Wolfstein's give their statements. "All right, you Sir, are facing several charges, carrying a concealed weapon, illegal use of a trank gun, and second-degree attempted murder. I should be able to get the charges dropped against your wife, and I might be able to get the charges reduced against you, but I can't guarantee that". "That is all I can hope for, as long as my wife and children are safe, do with me as you will." He hangs his head. Cindy hugs them both as she leaves.

Cindy meets us both in the hall. We talk fast in our minds and continue on our way. Cindy leaves the precinct and goes to speak to the DA. By the end of the afternoon, Donna is released, social services set’s herself and her kids up in a temporary shelter, and is looking for more permanent placement. Donald is arraigned for trial.

We trace the letter back to the post office in Podunk, but they can't help us. Mom and dad, Susan and I canvas all the locals who would talk to us. We show them pictures of Doug, Jesse, and Wolter Rameses, but no one can help us. Why drive out here just to mail a letter? Are they in Zootopia? Our answer came later in the week when two more mammals were darted with night howler. It was darts this time, not pellets. One was a Cheetah; the other was a pachyderm. The letter arrived in the afternoon, and they sent another to the news media. The whole thing has now blown up in our faces. We could not do our jobs properly. Mom and dad ran media interference, and we were left in the clear to continue the investigation. The Chief was right livid, but he couldn't blame us; the perps did send the same letter to the media. Susan and I got that letter as evidence; we had to get a warrant to get it. Same old newspaper and magazines, but this time we could tell the magazine it came from, not much of a clue, but it was something. We still have nothing; we plot the next two victims on the board, still not enough to get a correlation.

By the middle of next week, we get two more victims. This time a gazelle and a brown bear. In all the attacks, no one was killed, but some were mauled, but not seriously. We pin these victims on the board, and we defiantly see a pattern; they form a perfect circle. The epicenter is the old warehouse district. Wilde industries had bought the complex but hadn't done anything with the old warehouses yet. This blows up in the media, and the public is pushing for the release of Bellwether. That is the last thing we are planning to do. Susan and I separate ourselves and hunt for Doug. after about half an hour; we find him and his brothers in warehouse “W” the furthest from the main building. We roll S.W.A.T. and surround the building, but they are gone by the time we get there; how did they know we were coming? There are old magazines, food containers, mattresses, and newspapers all over the room they were in. It looks like they had been there for some time, about three weeks we estimated. Where were they for the last eleven years? And why return now? We had more questions but no answers.

Elisabeth and John don't wake up like Susan, and I did; they wake up in fits and starts, but they are back by the end of the month. Peter walks into their room, "Morning, you two." No response, "Hmm, Thinks Peter, then getting a smile on his face, uncovers their hind paws, and quickly runs his claws up their paw pads. They both scream as they sit upright. Elisabeth looks at Peter, "What the heck grandpa"? Several nurses rush over, but seeing Peter there, turn around and go back to their station. "Well, I see motor responses are good. I need to do a few more tests on you two. Come, sit on the edge of the bed for me". By the end of the testing, he pronounces them fit to leave the hospital. As they are minors, mom and dad are called to pick them up. They change into clothes that he had brought for them. Grandma had supplied the dress and undergarments for Elisabeth, and I provided the clothes for John as he was taller than dad and about my size.

Mom and dad are so happy to see them up and around; they hug them both. They are also glad they are away from the media Circus, if just for a little while. "Well, John, how are you feeling, son"? "Ah, technically, I'm not your son, but I would like to think of myself as your son." Dad holds him at arm's length, "You are my son, and I'm just wondering when's the wedding? "son." Elisabeth blushes, "dad, we haven't talked about it yet, but can we do it soon"? dad hugs Elisabeth and marvels at her forest green eye color; John has emerald green eyes, same as dads. “Yes, you can." "Dad, I thought you didn't like John." "It's not that I don't like John. I was having a hard time letting go of you, you are my little girl, and no boy is good enough in my eyes for my little girl. But I’ve had several months to get used to the idea, and I can feel your bond. So yes, you can marry John. I felt your bond, even while you were in the coma, and what God has brought together, let no mammal including me, tear apart”. She hugs him back, fiercely, "Dad, that means a lot to me, thanks." Mom hugs them both, "That's big of you, slick, you are learning." Dad looks down at mom, "Am I learning? Yes, yes, I am". He says this while bringing mom up into a kiss. Elisabeth and John copy the example in front of them.

When they walk into the house, Grandma starts to cry and just holds them both. She lets them go and brings food out of the fridge. "real food," both John and Elisabeth scream, as they sit down and devour it all. Grandma just laughs as they eat. Grandma, Miss Watts, and Bonnie are the only ones home; Miss Watts smiles at them; Scott and Justin were at school. Later Grandma takes them to the supercenter for clothes. Several employees watch them. The ones that have seen them before, just leave them alone. But one employee is trying to make a name for himself.

He confronts them in the jewelry aisle as they look at rings. "Alright, fox, what do you have in the bag"? "Nothing, sir, that I didn't have in there when I walked in." "Right empty it on the counter here." "Are you sure you want to do this"? "Just empty the bag before I call security." Vivian does as requested; he finds nothing from the store. "Alright, I want you all to leave." "But we haven't finished shopping." "Your finished fox, get out." "Kindly get your manager over here. I need to talk to him". "You will do as I say; I'm calling security."

He gets on his radio and does so. The manager hears the call and rushes over with security. "So, Orin, what seems to be the problem here." The security guards stand behind the manager with their arms crossed as he asks that question. "Sir, I caught these foxes shoplifting." The manager's eyes get big as he looks at Vivian. "Is this true, Miss Howler"? "No, it isn't Normand; I just think your employee is a little overzealous in his job." Orin gets a shocked look on his face; she knows the store manager? "Well, Orin, I believe Miss Howler is correct; you are in the wrong; apologize to her."

"I WILL NOT; she's just a shifty fox." The manager just smiles at Orin, “Orin, I will not tolerate this attitude towards Miss Howler, you will apologize to her, or you don't work here." "But she's just a fox." "She may be just a fox, as you put it, but she is a fox with five police officers in her family; she does not need to steal from us. Now apologize to her". Orin thinks for a few seconds, and turns away from them, and walks out the door. "I'm sorry, Vivian, if I had known about his attitude before I hired him, I would not have hired him." He turns to tell the guards to go back to their posts, but they had already left. "It's ok, Normand, I believe you, but we are done here." She ushers John and Elisabeth to the checkout. They go later in the afternoon to Brock-in-Stock jewelers for their rings.

We are no closer to finding Doug and his brothers, so we look at all the evidence collected at the warehouse. We get a call later from William; we put him on speakerphone and shut our office door. "Hey guys, I've analyzed the power plant and gun; it is very simple work compared to mine. The power plant is cobbled together from several different components from several different manufactures; I'll send you the manufactures info, along with the component supplied by that manufacturer. The computer chip running it is crude by Ricks standard but functional. He says it is based in the trinary language but is not all there; there is enough programming to control the plant properly. Some of the language is missing, almost like it was copied from a paper sheet with part of the paper missing. I’m surprised it works at all”. My phone beeps as the info comes across.

“As for the gun, it gives me ideas about the replicators you two talked about, and I’m hoping to have one up and running by the end of the year. Again, you should be receiving the component and manufacturers info shortly". Anything else you can tell us about the gun"? Well, if I were to build it, it would be at least five times more devastating than this one; I have now destroyed it. No one needs that weapon". "Are there any records of it”? Not here, but Mavis does know and has the specs, she also has the specs for the old replicators, but I want to see what I can come up with first”. "Right, thanks, William, we'll let the Chief know it's gone." "Anything else you want me to look at"? "Not at the moment, bro, but we'll keep you in mind." "Right, see you at supper, have a good day." 

We tell the Chief the weapon is off the street permanently, but if Carl did build it, he could make another. The Chief tells us he is still number one to find. We tell him we are looking, but no new info has come to light; none of the bills from the robberies have surfaced yet. He sighs as we leave his office. We find mom and dad in our office as we come in, dad has coffee and mom has tea. "Thanks for running media interference for us; anything new"? In response, dad hands us a new letter.

This one is different; it’s made with a new newspaper. The demand is new as well, they still want Bellwether, but now they want five-million dollars as well. They give us a time frame of two days. We can tell it's new as the date was still on one corner piece. It was four days ago about the right time frame for the postal service. Mom and dad had managed to trace the letter to "Happy Town." No cop goes in there and comes out unscathed. With mom and dad in the room, we separate ourselves to hunt for the Ramses. After an hour, and just before we have to come back, we find them. We come back and set up a game plan with mom and dad. We keep tabs on them as we set up the takedown.

We have to get them out of "Happy Town" if the cops went in there in force, we would start a war. No one wants to have that. We talk to the media and tell them we are releasing Bellwether. It hits the airwaves and T.V. like a bombshell. There are protests on both sides of the coin. The more vocal ones are against her release. We get Mary Jane from precinct eighteen. With some body sculpting from Elisabeth, she is the spitting image of Bellwether.

We put Bellwether in solitary lockdown. We will release her later back into the general population; we need her to have no outside contact, not that she had much to begin with. We roll Mary Jane into the prison in a van, and twenty minutes later, she then walks out. Susan and I pick her up and take her back to town in our cruiser. Susan keeps a lookout for Doug and his brothers. About two miles down the road, the brothers turn out onto the street and follow us. We take her to precinct-one for processing.

Jessie and Woolther are waiting in the outdoor café across the street from the precinct. Mom and dad walk with us all as we head for the café; dad carries a case that could contain money. The five of us sit down at the table outside and wait for Doug. We had lost him. I guess tinfoil hats do work well to block us, how we don’t know. We found out later he had a small shield device like the one that protected Carl's complex. The four of us turn to leave when we are tranked. Doug was on the roof across the street from the precinct.

Doug’s P.O.V…

“There you are, you two bastards, this is for Jesse's belly wool," it had never grown back. "This is for all the pain you caused me over the years, the hiding, the waiting." Doug keeps his finger on the trigger as he looks through the scope. He watches them all, the new rabbit and fox as well, and thinks four with one stone. He thinks back to how he was offered this chance for revenge. This strange lion found them hiding out in the wilderness, fed them, put them up, and offered him this new gun. He had over five hundred rounds for this gun. It was new to him; he had never seen one like it before. He practiced for months with this gun. It got to the point he could hit a dart with another dart at five-hundred yards. This gun was rapid-fire. He could fire ten darts in six-seconds. This gun was very impressive. He was led to believe it was his after he did his job for the lion. He kept his eye on the four of them, and as they turned to go, he tranked them all. He started to trank everyone in sight for maximum effect, the gun had a magazine that held twenty darts, and he had ten more clips with him, all filled with night howler.

My P.O.V….

When we were tranked, it was all I could do to remain sane. Susan and I fell to our knees, mom and dad fell to all fours and, looking at us with slitted eyes, growl at us both. Susan and I reach for our guns and trank mom and dad. We get ourselves under control and stand up. I turn around and trank Jesses and Woolther as they stand up to run. Mary Jane then pulls out her mark seven and starts to trank victims.

Susan and I do the same, but how many rounds does he have? "Dispatch," screams Susan into her shoulder mike, “Clawhauser, code blue in the square, all available units, night howler antidote needed in the plaza, HURRY." I throw my gun and spare trank clip to Susan. As I spot Doug, I go after him. She lets go of her mike as a bobcat jumps at her. She tranks him, "Sorry, Bobby." She has a gun in either paw and continues to trank victims.

I run to the building; I get one more dart as I run. I don't go into the building. I go around the side and go straight up the outside of the fire escape. I land on the roof and growl at Doug. He turns and tranks me again. I just smile at him as I pull the dart out. I then rush him before he can dart me again. I knock the gun out of his hooves and growl at him again. He can see my slitted eyes, and he wets himself thinking he is about to die. I pounce on him as he lets out a scared bleat. I roll him over and cuff him. I pick up the rifle and clips. I stand him up, and we go down the fire escape.

Several officers are waiting for us at the bottom. They back up a bit when they see my slitted eyes and feel my savageness. They take Doug into custody and read him his rights. They give me a wide berth as we walk out of the alley into the mayhem. There are several ambulances in the square; the emergency personal are taking mammals to the hospitals. We walk up to the Chief, and he backs up from Susan and me.

"Chief, is the isolation cell empty at the moment"? "Why? you two need to go to the hospital". "Sorry, sir, the antidote won't work on us; the night howler serum is like tar in our systems; only time will allow us to get rid of it. "How are you able to be coherent at the moment." "Sir we are battling the effects at the moment." "How…."? "Sir, we know our bodies, and we will have to let ourselves go savage, and the isolation cell will protect everyone else from us. If we were strapped to hospital beds, I can't guarantee the restraints will hold us; they may hurt us, and we could then hurt others". The antidote in our bodies will be like water, and we will just burn through it, without taking any of the serum with it, or only a small part of the serum". "How long do we put you in isolation"? "We think three to four days should do, Bobby, when he come out of the hospital, can monitor us in the cell. He can tell you when the serum finally leaves our system". "No one else has been able to beat the serum on their own; they just stayed savage." "Yes, sir, but you know we are different; we will beat this." The chief shakes his head, "Alright, I'll believe you, Snarlov escort our guests to the isolation cell." He turns back to us, "Your guns please, you can talk to I.A. when you are coherent again." "Thanks, Chief," we say as we roll up our guns and hand them to the Chief. When we get to the isolation cell, we strip and go in naked. Once the door is locked, we allow ourselves to go savage.

“Good evening Zootopia, I’m Peter Moosebridge, Miss Growler is away, filling in is Heather Hammerstein. Our top story tonight is the mayhem in central Square. Doug Ramses and his brothers Jesse and Woolther were apprehended, trying to start another night howler incident. Sixty individuals were darted, but thanks to the police force's quick thinking, there were no maulings. Two of the Z.P.D. police force members appear to be immune to night howler serum…." "Sorry to interrupt Peter, but I have just been informed the officers in question are at the precinct in an isolation cell. There was no room at local area hospitals for them; they are being monitored by one Bobby Hofmeyr, the Z.P.D.'s head lab personal he has given them the antidote”.

“Thank you, Heather, now on to the secondary story. Does Spider mammal exist? Again, we have shake footage of the impossible. The officer in question went straight up the outside of a fire escape. Look at him go; how can he do that? He then arrested Doug Ramses and walked him back down the fire escape. His partner on the force continued to trank victims as Doug created them. If you look closely at her eyes, you can see Slitted eyes. Was she savage? This is not the first time Daniel Wilde has done the impossible; he was the one to lift the bus off two accident victims, several months back, I’m told those victims have recovered fully from their ordeal, Heather”?

“Thank you, Peter, in entertainment news today, Gazelle has announced a benefit concert later this year for the victims of the central square incident. In other related news…”.


	35. Bugs and money

We have gone savage in the isolation cell; well, primal might be a better word. There are three things on a feral animal’s mind. Eat, sleep, and mate. Because of who we are, we were hard on the whole precinct. We are projecting empaths. They could feel when we were going at it. Most made excuses to be anywhere else other than the precinct at those times. After the first day, dad, mom, and Bonnie came to see us. Bonnie holding a ball, was allowed to look in the port of the door. “See Bonnie, they’re fine,” said dad holding Bonnie up. I was curled around Susan with my eyes watching the door. Bonnie dropped the ball in the cell and, bouncing out of dad’s arms, comes into the cell through the observation port. “Bonnie,” screams Nick. I bound over to her and pin her to the ground growling at her. Dad fumbles to get his trank gun out as I growl at her. But my growling stops as her scent hits me, “Daughter,” my mind says. I stop growling and sniff harder at her. Dad waits with his gun drawn and just watches me. I roll her over, pick her up by the scruff of her neck, and take her to our nest of blankets, and plunk her down in her mother’s lap. Susan sniffs at her and starts to lick the top of her head.

“That was a stupid thing to do, Bonnie. A savage predator might have ripped you apart,” says dad. “I know grandpa, but I trust my parents, but this head licking thing is kind of annoying.” Dad lets out with a nervous laugh, “Alright, you’ve seen them, time to leave.” Bonnie gets up to leave, but I stop her. I stand between her and the door. Every time she tries to go for the door, I block her and herd her back to her mother. “Guess I’m stuck here, grandpa; dad won’t let me leave.” “Alright, we’ll leave you there for now, but you know your father’s not going to be happy you did this.” “Yes, I can see that, but I just missed them so much.” “One day, that just might get you into trouble, granddaughter.” “It might, but for now, I just love the attention.” Nick shakes his head as he closes the observation port. Because of Bonnie being there, Susan and I stopped the mating. I guess the primal response was for procreation, not mating per se.

We start to come around to ourselves by the beginning of the third day. Bonnie was playing ball in the corner by herself when I rushed in, snatched the ball out of the air, and ran to the other corner. I shook my head from side to side, worrying the ball. Bonnie laughed as I walked back over to her and dropped the ball at her paws. She picks it back up, and I crouch down, wag my tail from side to side, waiting for her to throw it. She throws the ball high, and I jump to get it. We play like this for a couple of hours when we both get tired and fall asleep. By the end of the day, Susan and I are standing on our hind paws.

Early the next morning, I’m feeling a little randy, and I lick Susan’s ears. I freeze as there is a small movement between us. Bonnie? How did she get in here with us? I have a vague recollection of her coming in, but I can fully remember the ball play yesterday. I move a little bit away to look at her; she’s sleeping peacefully when I lick up the side of her body to the top of her head. “Ehww, dad.” She rubs her head, where I licked her. I just laugh. “Dad,”? “Yes, daughter, that was a foolish thing you did.” “Yes, dad, it was, but when I couldn’t sense you and mom, I thought you were gone.” Bonnie starts to cry. “I’ll make you a promise, little love, if at anytime your mother and I are going to leave, we will come and say goodbye to you first, “Deal”? “Deal, dad, and thanks.”

Susan turns to her and licks her as well, “MooOoom” Susan and I laugh. Later Mike shoves our meal under the door, “Hey Mike, the room service here sucks.” “The observation port slams open, “what did you say”? “I said the room service here sucks. Can I at least get a coffee”? “Glad to have you back, Daniel Susan. I’ll get you coffee and let everyone know you are back”. “Have we been away on a trip Mike”? “Yes, you were, and it was hard on the whole precinct.” “How do you mean”? “Not my place to say, but I’m sure the Chief wants to tear you guys a new one. Sit tight; Hofmeyr will want blood samples before we open the door”. “Where are we going to go, Mike”? He shakes his head as he walks away. We continue to eat breakfast. He comes back about ten minutes later and passes us coffees. Ugh, cafeteria coffee, oh well, we’ll make do. Bobby shows up about twenty minutes later and takes blood samples from us. We stick our arms out of the food port so he can do this. About a half-hour later, the cell door clicks open.

Grandma comes to the precinct to take charge of Bonnie; Susan has her in the shower with her; we were all a little ripe. Dad and Mom had brought clothes for Bonnie and spare uniforms for Susan and me. Once showered, we come out into the hall, hug grandma, kiss Bonnie and head for the Chief’s office. Mike was right. It was an ass chewing. “Emptying his precinct with thoughts of sex.” We apologized, but we knew he was having fun with us. The chewing out was for the benefit of the bug in his office. We wrote what we wanted to say on paper. He wants us to find the culprit who placed the bug. Rick’s countermeasures told him it was there, and when it was activated.

“Alright, enough of that, your meeting with I.A. is for one-o’clock; get out of my office tell then.” “Yes, sir.” We leave and head up to the cold case office. As we unlock the door, we find Rick’s countermeasures flashing at us. We have a bug in our office too. “Mavis, would you like a coffee”? **“I’d love one, Daniel.”** “Two creams, one sugar”? **“No, I’ll think I’ll take it black today”** “Right on the way.” We turn on our computers and the coffee pot and wait for Mavis to get back to us.

**“Daniel, it’s safe now; that bug is new and a very advanced design; there is a camera too, but both have been neutralized for now.”** “How new a design”? **“It’s almost as good as Rick’s design, but it only uses binary computer language.”** “Can you tell us who placed the bugs in the precinct”? **“I can; it was the night cleaners.”** “Where do the bugs report to”? **“About four blocks away, according to the jam cams, it’s a white van.”** We get mom and dad’s attention, speak to them non-verbally, and tell them about the bugs. They get hard and agree to meet us a few blocks away. They have guns. We don’t at this moment.

We reach into the bottom of the filing cabinet and taking out a belt and leg holster. We put the belt on and tie the holster to our legs on our left side. We then pull out our new “Weapon” and strap them to the holster. As we walk across the lobby, Clawhauser and other officers see us and the strange weapons, but before they can ask, we are out the door. We then leave the precinct and meet mom and dad about a block from the van. We all start to walk over to the van.

We see Ralph and Victor approach the van. They had been on patrol and noticed it was parked there for about half a day, in a thirty-minute zone. We are half a block away as Ralph knocks on the driver’s window. The window rolls down, and Ralph is tranked. The passenger side door is flung open, and Victor is tranked as well. The four of us start to run towards the van. The motor starts up, and it’s put in gear. But it doesn’t have a chance to go anywhere. Susan and I, when it started up, put power blocks in front of the front wheels. Mom and dad pulled their guns, and dad tranked the driver while mom tranks the passenger. The back doors are flung open, and a cheetah jumps out and takes off. Why does it have to be a cheetah?

He’s fast down on all fours. We grab our weapons as he runs towards us, and twirling them around our heads; we line up our shots; he’s passed us before mom and dad can point their guns at him. We then throw them at his legs. Our timing was perfect, my “Bolas” connect with his front legs, and Susan connected with his back legs. He hits the pavement hard and rolls to a stop. He starts to struggle right away; as we run-up, I shout, “Stop struggling, sir, or you will be tranked.” Mom and dad had run up by this time. I untangle his front arms and sit him up; Susan then cuffs him. I untangle his back legs and hand Susan back her Bolas.

“Well, son, daughter, you are full of surprises today; where did you get those”? he asks as he puts his gun away. “They are based on ancient weapon design. William had made them for us; they were used by the indigenous population of the southern continent for hunting game”. “How old is this design”? “Well, all the information we could find about them says they were in use before recorded history. (we didn’t tell him it was humans out hunting animals for food). William upgraded the design a bit. The originals had three stones on three one-meter ropes, but that was too cumbersome and the ropes tangled to easily, so he made it out of titanium balls and a retractable carbon fiber rope”. “May I see it”? I hand it to dad, he looks it over, pulls on a ball, and lets it snap back. He then goes to twirl it over his head, “Don’t dad, you could give yourself a concussion with one of the balls. It’s not an easy weapon to learn. Susan and I spent many Sundays down at the plant learning these weapons. We came close to braining ourselves many times”. He thinks for a minute and hands them back. I guess he is learning. “can you teach me”? dad asks. “Sure, dad, William can make more of them. They are very personalized. The weight and the length of the ropes”.

We walk the perp back to the van and call for a wagon. We go in and look at the equipment. Rick, in the back of our minds, looks over the equipment. Kaylee shows up a few minutes later and shuts down the transmitter, but only after we find out where it’s transmitting to. We’re not happy, and neither is the Chief when he finds out it was communicating to the F.I.B.’s headquarters (Federal Investigations Bureau). We seize the van and lock up the personal.

Later in the day, the Chief has a scat storm in his office, talking to the F.I.B.; we’re not privy to what is said, but the whole precinct can hear the chief tying into the representative of the F.I.B. Susan, and I have the same kind of storm in the office of I.A. They watch the body cams of our new “Weapons,” but they can see the merit in the new weapons. There is no need to tackle a perp and get into a scuffle. But the weapons are limited to open spaces, with little in the way of crowds. They confiscate them to study them. We warn them of how dangerous they are and say we will demonstrate them if they want.

We then go over the incident in the square. We spend the rest of the afternoon doing that. At the end of the shift, we are handed our guns back but told by the Chief we can’t leave the office till he has our report in front of him. We groan but go and do as he askes. We get home at about eight PM. William is all over us, asking about the new weapons. We hand him a copy of our body cams; he takes it with glee and heads for the office to watch it on Terry’s computer with him.

The next day we take one of Rick’s new detectors around and remove all the bugs. The Chief then asks us to go around to all the precincts and remove all the listening devices. We paw all that work off onto Rick. The Chief agrees, and Rick is signed onto the precinct as a consultant. It takes about a month for Rick to do all the precincts, and he comes back to the Chief with a box with five-pounds of listening and video devices in it. To say the Chief is floored is an understatement. The Chief then gets on the horn to the procurement department about Rick’s countermeasures and asks them to look into buying them. He does this very strongly.

After pawning the work onto Rick, we go back to our office to find a representative from the treasury department waiting for us in our office, “good morning officers, I’m Jay Winger, and I was informed you two were the ones to talk too, about some funny money.” “good morning to you Jay, I’m Daniel Wilde, and my partner is Susan Wilde; what kind of money are you talking about”? “Well, I was hoping you could tell me; I have two bills here with the same serial number. They are both real bills, but they have the same serial number”. “Is one of them counterfeit, sir”? “Not as far as we can tell. They are both real monies. We are thinking one of them has been altered, but we can’t see it or tell you how it was done”. Susan and I look at the bills with power. There is a faint glow coming from one of them. “I believe Jay, that the bill in your left paw is the altered one, but let’s take it down to the lab and look at it under the electron microscope.” “We tried that, but could see nothing. My left paw? how can you tell”? “sorry sir, it’s classified, but you may be able to see what we see with a color filter on the microscope.”

We all head down to Bobby’s lab and ask to use the microscope. He takes us over and flips the switch to warm it up. We place the bill in question onto the plate and look at it. Jay was right. It looked real even under magnification. We then flip through all the colored lenses. When we get to the green one, the bill lights up like a Christmas tree. We can see the faint outline of the original serial number. We take a screenshot of the bill. We remove the bill and, thanking Bobby, head back for our office. We lock the door and, firing up our computers, pull up the bill in question. I hit the key to get Mavis helping us. Jay, through it, all watches and says nothing. After about five minutes, we have the number of the original bill. On a hunch, we run it against all the bills from the bank robberies. We get a hit to the first robbery.

“Wow, you two are amazing, like wow… such teamwork, you are wasted here, care to come work for us”? We laugh, “We have heard that before from the Z.CIA, and we’ll tell you what we told them; we’re happy where we are at and won’t be leaving, but all you have to do is ask for our help, and we will give it.” “So, what should we do with this money”? “I suggest you leave it in circulation. It is real money after all”. “But that will cause a headache for the accounting department.” “Maybe, but the guy who did this is on the top of our list for apprehension, and if he thinks he got away with it, he has another think coming, where was that bill found”?

“It was found in the Kay Ram Islands it was part of a deposit, the bank that got it, sent us all the information and the bills, we sent them back the same denominations.” “Can we have that information, please”? Jay reaches into his briefcase and hands us the info. “Can you catch this guy soon? We don’t need fifteen- million in duplicate bills”. “We are doing our best, Jay, but it could be a bit yet.” “After watching you two in action, I would have to say you will catch him sooner than later. Well, it’s been a pleasure meeting you both, and I hope we will work together again”. He gives us a two-finger salute as he heads out the door and locks it behind him.

We talk to William, and the three of us agree a replicator could do this, but when did Carl have time to make a new replicator? A light bulb goes off in our heads; we cut the connection with Willian and relax, separate ourselves, and head for Carl’s old complex. We get there and see the whole thing has been hit hard by the lava. But it has had a long time to cool off, and yes, Carl is back in business in his complex. There is no shield this time, but we go incautiously. Carl has repaired most of his complex, and he has a few people in the complex with him. All the robots are gone, were they deactivated? We hear a slight murmur coming from the speaker system. We follow the wires to the control room. The room had survived, the lave did not get through the door, but neither did Carl at the moment. Did he want to get to Mavis? He is very vengeful, after all. We could see Mavis was operating at a reduced capacity and power level. We touch her case to talk to her. We are thrown back with an electrical like discharge; an alarm goes off in the complex. We flee back to our bodies.

It takes a bit for us to come around; dad is pounding on the door as I stager to my feet. I open the door and start to fall over. Dad grabs me, and steering me back to my chair, makes me sit down. Susan and I pass out in our chairs. We come back to ourselves in a hospital bed. Susan and I are together, and our parents are asleep in the chair next to our bed. I reach for the water, and I share it with Susan (she gets the lion’s share). I reach over and stroke dad’s head. He snaps awake, which wakes mom up as well. “Damn it, you two, don’t scare us like that; what happened”? “We found Carl dad, but you’re not going to like it, he’s back in his complex, and he has a way of detecting us in our astral forms. He hit us with a new kind of defensive weapon. It kind of blew our minds”. “Yes, I can see that you have been out for thirty-six hours now; how are you feeling”? “Like we have been dragged through a key-hole backward, we need some food and a bit more sleep.”

Dad pushes the call button, and a nurse comes in a few seconds later. “Oh, it’s good to see you awake; I’ll get the doctor.” With that, she heads out the door again. I grab mom and put her between Susan and me. She lets out with a Squeak as I pick her up but settles between us and starts to cry. Dad just crawls in beside me and acts stoic, but he is crying tears of relief silently. The doctor comes in a few minutes later and checks us out. He gives us a clean bill of health but won’t release us tell the morning shift. Susan and I fall back to sleep after some toast and tea. Mom and dad head for home after hugging us one more time.

The next morning, we get a clean bill of health from the doctor on duty; mom and dad come in a few minutes later with our spare uniforms; the old ones had been cut off in the emergency room. Wonder if the Chief would get upset if we had custom police uniforms made? We then all walk to the precinct. It’s only ten blocks away. We stop at Molly’s for breakfast. It tastes divine.

Clawhauser squeals at us as he rushes around the desk and hugs us both. I can hear my bones creak with the hug. “Younger Wilde’s, my office now.” “While I appreciate the sentiments Clawhauser, the chief is calling us.” “Oh, right, right, can’t keep the chief waiting now, can we”? He lets us go and heads back behind his desk as we head for the Chief’s office.

“Morning chief, how’s our favorite buffalo this morning”? He’s about to respond when a look comes over his face. He just motions us to come in and sit down. “So, would you like to tell me what happened two days ago”? “Well, it’s like this chief….”. “Spare me the theatrics. I already have a headache”. “Right Chief, sorry, what happened is we found Carl, and he hit us with some sort of new weapon. This caused a sensory overload on our part. If it had been anyone else, it would have probably killed them, as it was, it was close for us”. “You said he was dangerous; now I can see how dangerous he is. I WANT HIM CAUGHT, AND BEHIND BARS”. “We will, sir, but we need to approach him cautiously. We don’t know what this weapon will do to a normal individual”.

“What, you’re not normal”? he smiles at us and hides a silent laugh. “Well, as normal as we can be.” “Right, going up the outside of a fire escape, how is that normal”? “I was under the influence of night howler at the time; it was the night howler.” “Yes, that’s the cover story we used, but I know it’s not the truth. Do you remember what I said to you on your first day of patrol”? “Ah, not really, sir.” “I asked you if this was to be normal for you two and hoped it wasn’t, as I didn’t need the headache. But I see it is; that’s why this bottle of aspirin”. The Chief holds out an elephant size bottle of aspirin. We can see it’s half empty already. “Alright, I need you to plan how to get this Carl, I don’t care how just do it.” “Yes, sir, but now that he has been alerted to us, I’m sure he has moved again.” “Don’t care, just find him.” “Yes sir.” We get up and leave his office.

We work for the rest of the day in our office; no patrols today. Our minds still don’t feel right. We come into the house at the end of the shift and head for the hot tub. Our daughter bounds down the stairs and greets us with her tears as we step off the elevator. We all strip down and get into the hot tub. Our daughter floats in front of us, keeping an eye on us. We kiss in front of her, and she splashes us with water. Before she can get away, we grab her and, standing up, throw her high in the air towards the pool. She screams with joy doing a few flips and does a perfect dive into the pool. Her shriek as she surfaced was loud enough to break the glass. We join her in the pool for a family romp.

At supper, Elisabeth and John pull us into a hug, “You think you and Susan can stay awake long enough to see John and I marry? We would like you to be there”. When is it sis”? This Saturday same place and time as you two”. “Baring an event of biblical proportions, we will be there.” “Ah, what’s a bible”? “Ask Mavis she can let you read it some time.” “I will, so Susan, will you be my maid of Honor”? “I’d love to Elisabeth if your sure”? “I’m sure.” Susan hugs Elisabeth. “Daniel, I would like you to be my best man, will you”? Asked John. “I’d love to, John, but don’t think I’m planning a bachelor party for you; you’re not old enough to drink.” “Sure, I am; Elisabeth and I have the same designate as the rest of you do. We were raised to an adult status like you two. They have simplified the procedure down at city hall. Once you have your G.E.D., you just have to fill out a questionnaire, a five hundred question questionnaire. If you pass, you are elevated. I was led to believe there are over five hundred kits now elevated to adult status”. “Wow, I didn’t know; look what we started, love,” I say as I hug Susan; we then kiss. When we come up for air, we find Elisabeth and John doing the same thing.

The next morning at the precinct, we are handed back our bolas. We have been informed the bolas were the same as a trank gun. Draw the bolas, get an investigation. We nod yes, and strap the bola holster on to our left hips. We now have a weapon on both hips. The Chief asks for a demonstration of this new “Weapon,” Ralph agrees to be our victim… I mean our perp. Ralph runs across the gym; we get him just as he hits the mats. The Chief is impressed, but he can see the weapon’s limitations but feels the benefits outweigh the cost. We get the green light to wear them and use them if necessary.

We scout around Carl’s complex; we are very Leary of entering again. We just watch, but nothing happens. Has he gone already? Our minds still don’t feel right, well, to be honest, we are scared. We return to the precinct and continue to work in our office.

Mom and dad handled the interrogation of Doug and his brothers. They called us in for help. They move to observation, and we go to see Doug. His lawyer is a public defender as he has no money. “So, Doug, where have you been for the last eleven years”? “Who cares? You’re not asking the right question”. And what’s the right question”? “Well, that’s the question, isn’t it.” He sits back with a smug look on his face. “We smile at him and ask the question. “So, what did Carl offer you for your cooperation”? he gets a shocked look on his face and leans in to talk to his lawyer.

He sits back up, “what are you offering me in exchange for my testimony”? we smile at him, “Nothing, Doug, you pulled the trigger in the square, and I’m sure we can get your brothers to testify against you. We are done here”. We stand up to leave, “WAIT, can the charges be lessened if I tell you”? “Sorry, Doug, you have two-night howler incidents hanging over your head. You were the shooter in both”. We continue to walk towards the door. “Ok, if you lessen the latest one, I’ll tell you.” We turn around and sit back down.

“So, about a year ago, this strange lion found us hiding out in the wilderness of Bunny Burrow. We tried to run, but he tranked us all with the gun I used. That gun was amazing, it made mine look like junk, but I was attached to mine. Anyway, he took us to some sort of underground complex. Not sure where it is, we were never allowed to leave the complex. He fed us, had us groomed, and he trained me on this new gun. When I got good, he wanted us to create a diversion for him. He said we could ask for money from the Z.P.D.”.

“Do you know what you were the diversion for”? “No, but he did let us go and gave us a date for the diversion. It was to be in two weeks from yesterday. We were planning to extend the night howler incidents tell then, but when you released Bellwether, we jumped at the chance to get her back. We wanted a little revenge as well”. “You know Doug; we were not ever going to release Bellwether; you had to know that.” he gets a shocked look on his face, “but that’s who was at the table with you.” “Sorry Doug, that was an undercover cop, her name is Mary Jane from precinct-eighteen.” Doug deflates a bit, “you need to protect me, this Lion is dangerous, and I’m sure he will come after me.” “He can’t get to you here, Doug; the precinct is very secure.” He will get to me; I’m a dead mammal.” He starts to cry as he curls into a woolly ball. We left him at this point.

Jesse and Wolther have nothing new to add to the story. We don’t have much to charge them with, procurement of night howler, and aiding and abetting a terrorist crime. All charges carried a maximum jail term of eleven years. If they had gone to trial back then, they would be out now. They were put into the same holding cell to await transport to a prison cell.

Later that day, we lost them all, a small disruptor bomb went off on the bus, we lost the Ramses and three corrections officers. The bus just vanished in a puff of powder. If not for the other traffic on the road, we would not have known what happened to the bus. We rushed to the scene but found nothing. We took more samples for William. We collected as much powder as we could to give to the families of the lost officers. We wished we could do more for them. We told the families of the officers; it was a new incendiary bomb. They were not happy, but they had something to bury. Carl was upping the ante.


	36. the beginning of the end

Saturday dawns a little cloudy but clears up in the afternoon. We all walk down to the church. Elisabeth is in a lavender dress; John is in a midnight blue tux, the same color I was at the academy. My siblings all laugh at that thought. Dad is crying as he walks her down the aisle; mom hugs him as he sits down. I think dad is turning into another Stu. Dad’s youngest daughter is now married. Many family friends were invited to the wedding, Fru Fru attended, and a couple of kids from school. Later we asked Fru Fru if she could set up a meeting with her father for us; she gave us a puzzled look but said she would call us later with the time and date. Mom was having a fun time with her godchild.

It was a surprise to find that Elisabeth and John invited the Bearsden family; they had forgiven Dudley. But Dudley had picked himself up as well. When we told him to do a good deed every day, he took it literally. He said it was hard at first, but he did it. He now had many friends. Some mammals were still scared of him, but he was doing his best to be the best mammal he could be. We wished him well.

It was a surprise to us all when Genie showed up with her boyfriend. This was the first time we all had seen him. We just smiled at Cedrick. We do work with him all the time. We didn't know Genie was his love interest. He had talked about her all the time, we should have clued into it, but we didn't. We hug them both. Mom is in her face asking how they met. Genie smiles at mom and tells her nonverbally; mom blushes hard, Genie laughs, mom gently punches her arm.

Later in the reception, Susan and I cornered Elisabeth and John and spent a few minutes teaching them the shielding technique. They both blushed but thanked us. They didn't go to grandma's old house; instead, the family had rented the honeymoon suite at the palm's hotel for a week for them. If they needed more, we would spring for that as well. They left later that night for their honeymoon.

We get the call on Monday from Fru Fru. Her dad would meet us at four o'clock that afternoon. We dress down in civvies and, borrowing mom and dad's undercover car, head for the Big’s mansion. We nod to Raymond as he lowers the gate for us. Kevin opens the door to the mansion for us. The butler leads us to Mr. Big's office. Kozlov comes in with Mr. Big and sets him down on the desk.

Before anything can be said, Mr. Big holds out his ring, we both kiss his ring. "So, why are two of the ZPD's finest here requesting a meeting"? "Mr. Big, sir, we requested this meeting to inform you of some upcoming changes." "So, are you offering to be informants? I didn't expect that from the children of my little Judy's Godparent". "No, sir, we are not here to offer our services as informants, but to ask you to end, you're less than legal activity in Zootopia." Mr. Big gets a look on his face and starts to belly laugh; Kozlov joins him in the laughter. After a few, they stop. Mr. Big wipes his eyes and chuckles a bit more. We stand there waiting for him to stop.

"Ah, Daniel, I've not had such a good laugh in a long time. Tell me, why are you here"? "That's the truth, Sir, we have enough information to put you away for life, but we are offering to look the other way while you divest yourself of all your objectional interests. We can't tell you what we have, but we have found your legal businesses have gone from forty-percent to sixty-five-percent over the last two years. If you were to continue that, we would give you the time to finish". As we spoke, we could feel him getting madder. Kevin and Raymond came into the office behind us. “You come into my house, threaten me with jail, and expect me not to retaliate? Ice them “.

Kevin grabs us and lifts us; Raymond removes the rug and takes the cover off the trapdoor in the floor. We can see the ice in the water below us. Kevin then drops us; we smile at Mr. Big as we stay stationary in the air where we are at. The bears are all shocked; Kevin pushes down on our shoulders, trying to get us to drop. "Sir, can we discuss this as civilized mammals"? I fold my arm in front of me. Mr. Big leans forward and looks at us. He can see we are standing on nothing. He snaps his fingers at Raymond, "I guess I have no choice. We will talk". Raymond puts the trap door back and replaces the rug. We slowly lower ourselves down to the floor. "Come to the sitting room. We will talk there". We all follow Mr. Big.

We sit down across from Mr. Big, as a lion maid brings in some tea and biscuits for us all. We help ourselves and wait for Mr. Big to speak. He takes a sip of tea, "How are you two able to do that"? "I'm sure Sir, you already have information on us and our abilities. If nothing else, you have seen the videos of the central square incident. We can do a lot of things that seem impossible, yet we do them". "I thought it was faked when you lifted that bus; Susan went under the bus with a jack." "Well, we did use a jack, but it had nothing to do with a mechanical device." "Yes, after what I saw today, I have to believe you, so, what are you offering me"? "Not much, I'm afraid, Sir, this was just a courtesy call. We don't want to put you in jail, and if you gave up your objectionable enterprises, we wouldn't have to". Fru Fru can enjoy growing up with her father. "I can see that, but that thirty-five-percent accounts for about half of my profits. I just can't let that go".

"Well, I'm sure we can help there. As you know, the climate control wall's contract comes up for bid later this year, and if you lowball it by say, twenty-percent, I'm pretty sure you will get it". "TWENTY PERCENT? That is most of the profit of the wall". "Yes, sir, it is, and it will need some upgrades as well." "Tell me as a business mammal why I should do this"? "Well Sir, I have it on good authority that Wilde industries have developed a new system for heating and cooling and would be willing to sell to you for cost plus ten-percent. This new system would make the old wall about thirty-percent more efficient, and the power to run the wall would cost you little. They would supply you with cold fusion reactors for a low lease and maintenance fee; as you know, the wall's major cost is power. Most of that comes from the hydroelectric dam in the rainforest district. You would not be subject to the whims of water. And as you have low power costs, you stand to make a greater profit than you are now". “Hmmm… that is very tempting, and I would have to get rid of all my cri… objectional enterprises"? "Yes Sir, if you have nothing, then what can we charge you with? We can't charge you for past crimes; your lawyer would have it thrown out as hearsay".

"Alright, how long do I have"? "We are building cases against all the crime bosses of Zootopia, and if your name happens to be last on our list, so be it." "You? You are building the case"? "Yes, sir, as "Special investigators," Susan and I can look into everything." "Wow, I had heard that they had brought that badge back again, but I didn't know it was you two." "Hence this friendly ask, you are family too, you know." Mr. Big steeples his paws In front of him and ponders for a few. "Raymond, call my accountant and lawyer and get them here. Do you have any information on this proposal for me"? I reach into my jacket and hand some papers to Kozlov, who reaches for them. "If that is all, I have some planning to do; Kevin will show you out." "Thank you for your time, sir," we say as we exit the room with Kevin. Kevin shakes his head at us, "I have never seen the boss give in like that; you have some control over him." "Not, really, Kevin, we are just family." "Yah, that is true." He opens the door and leads us to our car; he then heads for the gate to open it for us.

When we get back to the precinct, we head for chief Bogo's office. I'm just about to knock, but I hear the word "Enter." How can he do that? Does he have some ability as well? We open the door and walk-in and sit down in the chair in front of him. We pull out our wires and hook them up to his computer for him to listen to them. His frown deepens as he listens.

"Alright, that was not what I agreed to when you left here." "No, sir, it wasn't, but if this happens, The ZPD has made an ally out of Mr. Big." "Yes, I can see that, but why an ally? We could have just arrested him and been done with it". "Yes, Sir, we could have, but as it stands now, Mr. Big, we know, and someone else we wouldn't. With Mr. Big still in control, I'm sure he still won't allow anyone else in on his territory, so we still have control over the drug trade in Tundra town. As for his brothels, we all know that the city council later this year is planning to decriminalize prostitution, But the regulations will be high on brothels, what with workers comp, health benefits, fair wage; I'm sure Mr. Big can see the writing on the wall". The chief chuckles a bit, "Remind me to never get on your bad sides, I like my position as chief." "No worries there chief, we don't want your job." The chief roars with laughter, Clawhauser hearing this, ducks down behind his desk, wondering what just happened.

It's been a long day, and we are ready for home. We catch dad and mom with Clawhauser, and we all walk home. We are all exhausted but put a smile on our faces for JR; we banter for a few and then head upstairs. Our daughter does a few backflips as she comes towards us. She plasters herself onto my chest. Susan thinks, "Daddy's Girl," "Darn right, mom," says Bonnie as she jumps to her mother. Susan grabs her out of the air, and bringing her in close, blows raspberries on her stomach. Bonnie shrieks with laughter.

After supper, we try something new; we have Justin read Susan and me for the info on throwing a Bola. He then transfers that knowledge to mom and dad. William comes in and hands mom and dad their own Bolas and new rigs for their guns and bolas. We go down to the DOJO, and granddad and I agree to be mom and dad's target runners. We are kind of scared, but mom and dad pull it off flawlessly. Mom's bolas are a little smaller than ours but no less efficient. They marvel at their new "Weapons" we then inform them that IA classifies them as a taser, and they would be investigated if they use them. They get thoughtful looks on their faces as they put them back into their holsters. They hug Justin and thank him. We spend the rest of the evening practicing with the bolas on a pillar.

The court date comes up quickly for the Wolfstien's; we had found a job and place to live for Donna and her kids. She now works as a cleaner for the newest apartment block for Wilde Industries. Only the first floor is done, but they live there. Donna cleans up after the workers at night, same as we did when we were undercover. If Wilde Industries opens up one more apartment block in the area, the city will look into opening up the old subway platform that mom and dad had snuck into during the night howler incident. Her kids go to the local school. Dad, mom, Susan, and I take time off to be in court. Cindy had got the case before judge Harrison. We are all in the courtroom, waiting to see the outcome. We hoped we would be listened to.

All rise for Judge Harrison”, we rise, the Judge comes in and sits down. "You can be seated." "So, I have read the statements and submissions from the DA and council, and frankly, I find it highly unusual. I'm led to believe you, Sir, are pleading guilty to all the charges, is this correct"? "Yes, your honor, I am." "and you are willing to be sentenced today"? "Yes, I am." "Council, prosecution, would you both approach the bench." Cindy and the Tiger DA both approach the bench. Cindy has to climb a set of stairs to be seen over the benchtop.

"This is highly unusual, you two; you are both in agreement with your submissions"? "Yes, sir," says the tiger. "Yes, sir," says Cindy. “Mis O’Hare, does your client have anything to say in his defense"? "No, sir, he doesn't; he freely admits to doing all that was said he had done." "He could go away for a very long time, you know this, have you told him this"? "Yes, sir, I did, but he feels he has to pay for what he has done." "All right, this side is done." Both defense and prosecution return to their tables and sit down. "We will now take victim impact statements, Prosecution; you can read the statements or call the persons involved." "Thank you, your Honor. I call the Wilde family to come up one at a time to give their victim impact statements”.

I won’t bore you with all the statements my family gave, but through it, all loves and forgiveness was handed out to Donald by my whole family. By the end of the statements, most of the courtroom had a tear in their eyes. The Judge called a fifteen-minute recess before he would pass sentence. We had got to the Judge, and he went to compose himself. Judge Harrison returns fifteen-minutes later.

"Would the defendant rise" Donald stands up. "Sir, you did a horrendous crime, but I can see the remorse you have for the crimes you committed, I know from the submissions that you did it under duress, but you still did them. I also understand the family and the victims have forgiven you for the crimes, but I can't let you off scot-free. The law needs to see justice done; therefore, I sentence you, Sir, to time served and seven-years of house arrest and probation. The only time you are off the property is for your training course. You will have to go right there and go right back home at the end of the day". "Training course, sir"? "Why yes, I thought your council would have told you; I'm led to believe that Wilde Industries has hired you for the maintenance mammal position of the building your wife is in, is this correct council"? "Yes, your honor, it is." "I assume that you accept this position,"? With tears in his eyes, Donald looks at the Judge, "Yes, sir, I do." "Good," says the Judge with a smile on his face, "The court is now adjourned," he says as he bangs his gavel. We all rise with the Judge as he walks out of the courtroom. The bailiffs take him down to the holding cells, where he awaits the officers who will take him to his new home.

Donald is shocked when he sees it is Susan and me who are there to pick him up. We strap a monitoring bracelet to his ankle and program it for our destination. We can tell he is relieved to be out and going to see and hold his wife and kids for the first time in a long time. As we round the corner and come in sight of the building, we can see his family waiting for him in front of the building. When Susan opens the door, he bounds to his family and brings them all into a hug. We break it up after about five minutes. "Well, everyone, we need to finish setting the monitoring bracelet and route, so the alarm doesn't go off every time you step off the property." Donald breaks off the hug, and we walk the perimeter of the building and grounds. The monitoring equipment records this info. We then all walk the route he will have to take to his class to maintain the power plant and all the equipment in the building. He will also be the groundskeeper, but because of the construction at the moment, that will have to wait. We walk there and back; he doesn't have enough paws for all his kids and wife, so his daughter is thrown onto his shoulders, and his sons get his paws. His wife walks beside him and pets his arm now and then.

When we get back, we all go into the building to his new home. He's floored at the size of the apartment. All his kids have their rooms, they may be small, but they all have one. The master bedroom is bigger and has its own bathroom. We get ready to leave when Donald grabs my arm, "Thank you, I don't know how I can ever repay you." "You can repay us, sir, by being the best mammal you can be." "I know this is embarrassing to me, but I never got your names." Because we are not in uniform, we didn't have our name tags on. "My bad," I say as I take his paw to shake it, "I'm Daniel Wilde, and my partner is Susan Wilde." He gets a shocked look on his face, "Wilde, as in Wilde Industries"? "Yes, but we have no part in the company. Our brother runs his company. We are just a couple of cops". He has a shocked look on his face as we turn and head out the door.

It's now the day that Doug said he was to create the diversion. At noon there is a diversion. I guess Carl was doing his own. A PPC shot went off over the city from north to south. It then changed directions and went from east to west. He made all the compass points, then started to do them again. Most of the people of Zootopia stopped and stared at the sky, watching the bolts. They oh and ah over the light show.

Meanwhile, the natural history museum is robbed. Mom and dad are in charge of the investigation. They call us in. When we get there, only one small item is missing. The museum listed it as a ceremonial key. We have a picture of the key. The crooks are all hooded and masked, hard to make out the individuals' species or sex. We leave it in mom and dad's paws. We go back to our office, lock the door, and get Mavis involved.

"Mavis, can you tell us kind of key this is a picture of"? **"Shit, Daniel."** "Shit, what is shit"? **"Oh, sorry, shit is just another word for scat."** “So how bad is this key”? **"That key is the launch key for a portable nuclear device."** "Scat, I thought Carl got rid of all the old tech." **"He must have kept one nuclear device for himself, why I don't know."** "Mavis, would he use this device"? **"Because of Carl's track record, I would say yes."** "How big an area will we have to evacuate"? **“Daniel, if that key is to the device, I believe it is, it would level all of Zootopia. It could even reach the Tri Borrows”.** “Wow, what is the yield for the device”? **"About one-hundred- kilotons."** “Will it still work after all this time”? **"Yes, if that's one thing the ancients did well was to build bombs."** “Is there any way to detect this bomb”? **"If Carl has it in its original case, no, it would be too well shielded."** "How big a case would it be"? **"It would be as large as a large wolf suitcase or a makeup case for an elephant."** “Ok, if Carl wanted revenge, what did Zootopia do to him”? **“I’m sure I don’t know, but if I had to extrapolate, I would say that he found out that the ones who hurt him and his complex came from Zootopia."** "Yes, that fits. Is there any way to protect Zootopia from it"? **"No, a disruptor might help, but by my estimates, that bomb would have to have a yield three times bigger than the nuclear device. Even if William started now, he wouldn't get it done it time."** "So, what your saying is we have to find him and stop him." **“Yes, that’s the only way I can see."** “Right, we need help, any ideas”? **"None I'm afraid, you're on your own."** “Thanks, I was afraid of that."

Oscar comes out to watch the fireworks, like all the rest. But unlike the rest, Oscar knew what he was seeing, "Damn, I guess it's time, again." He thinks this to himself as he goes Back inside the DOJO. He spends the afternoon and part of the evening getting his affairs in order, and later that night, he goes to talk to the two individuals who might believe his story.


	37. Oscar's story

Oscar slowly walks down the street. He thinks over the life he has led, it was a good life, a long one, but he was tired. “when will this ever end? Is this the end”? he sighs to himself as he thinks this. It’s been a long journey; he hopes this will be the last; all the good people he has known over the years. He stopped mourning them a long time ago. He turns into the building at one-hundred Harris street.

“Good evening, sir, can I help you find someone”? asks Wallace of the late-night visitor. Oscar looks at his name tag, “Yes, my good Wallace, I need to speak to Daniel and Susan Wilde.” “Right, sir, they are all in bed by now, but you can ask over at the kiosk over there.” Wallace points to the kiosk at the elevator. Oscar goes over, “Hello”? **“State your name and your business with the O’Hare’s.”** “Mavis,”? **“Yes, I’m Mavis. Can I help you”?** “Mavis, it’s Oscar Chapman; how did you get out of the complex”? **“If you are Oscar, code, please.”** “Right,” “Oscar Chapman, Whiskey-Alpha-Zulu-Foxtrot-Tango-Lima-One-Niner-Niner-Two-Zero-Omega.” **“Code accepted. It’s been a long time Oscar, what can I help you with tonight”?** “Mavis, I need to talk to Susan and Daniel.” **“They are in bed at the moment. Can it not wait till tomorrow”?** “No, it can’t; it concerns Carl.” **“Are you going to hurt them”?** Oscar softly chuckles, “No, Mavis, but I think they need the information I have.” **“Ok, I’ll wake them.”**

Both Susan and I jump up with a burning in our ears. “What’s up, Mavis”? **“You two have a visitor. I would suggest strongly you hear him out. He might have information on Carl”.** “Right, who is he”? **“He is your instructor Oscar Delaront."** “Alright, let him up. Can you keep everyone else asleep”? **“Yes, I will. This is very hush hush information for your ears only”.** We throw on some robes and head for the kitchen. I throw some coffee on while Susan waits at the door for Oscar. Oscar comes in, and we all sit down at the table. Oscar just hangs his head and says nothing as the coffee brews. I get us all coffee and sit back down at the table. Oscar takes a sip of his coffee before he begins.

“I don’t know how much you will believe or understand about what I’m about to tell you, but I swear it’s the truth." “Go on, sir, we can feel the truth of your last statement." “Right, I forgot you can read emotions, can you as well, Susan”? Susan nods, yes. “Ok, my name is Oscar, and I was born in the year twenty-fifteen. My father was a geneticist, the best in the world, I’m told. As I grew up, I was a fast learner. I think my father tampered with my genes. I was thirty when I found out he did. I was just as good as him in genetics, and I did win a few acclaims and accords. Neither of us was sure who developed the virus that got out of a lab and destroyed most of the world’s wildlife, but it spread around the world in a few months. Some humans were susceptible to it, but not many. I always thought it wasn’t a virus but a nanobot or some variation of that.

It devastated the wildlife of the world. All we could do was save some DNA from as many species as we could. The reptiles were almost all wiped out. What the virus didn’t wipe out, the nuclear winter did. My father and I and many others tried to recreate some of the animals from DNA. We had many early successes; we managed to recreate ducks, chickens, and geese in the lab in “nutrient” tanks. Starving people hunted most of them; the virus had devastated many ecosystems worldwide; people were dying everywhere. The world rebelled, many people lost their lives in the uprisings. Dad and I managed to combine human DNA and Animal DNA. We recreated the human race. We made some people into herbivores and some into predators. He gave the information away to all the geneticists of the world. The world was transformed with this info. Many humans changed into herbivores. The decline stopped at this point, but we weren’t growing either as the human race. Dad had to go and try the change. I couldn’t make him as he wanted, I did try. I think he blamed me for my failure and his condition.

About five years later, the herbivores started to disappear. We found out later they were being eaten by predators. They were first charged and jailed, but when one tricky lawyer got a predator off, the laws then changed. It was now legal to eat prey animals. I considered it cannibalism, and so did most of the world. Things were getting worse in the world just before dad released the cold fusion power plant.

Dad released the fusion power plant to the world, but they had to come to him for the control boards. The boards worked on a trinary computer language. Some countries complained, but dad welcomed them to learn this new language, no one who came could understand it. Dad had a monopoly on the power plants. A few months later, dad released the replicators, but he traded replicators for another tech. He got the Repulsion field tech from another company. With the replicators and fusion power plants, the world stabilized. We thought we were coming into a golden age. I perfected the change. The human/animal hybrids were now fertile.

Dad pushed me to see if I could fix him, but I always told him I couldn’t fix him. I could, but he had a darkness in his soul that just scared me, so I left him as he was. I did create a dragon from Lizard DNA and Human DNA, but he only lived for a few years. At that time, he got to fly in the sky like a bird. He died in a storm. He was violently thrown to the ground and died before help could get to him. I always wondered how long his life span would have been if he had lived.

Then came the day the nuclear bombs dropped all over the world. The complex rumbled and shook. Some sections lifted, and some dropped. All in all, the central part of the complex stayed stable. After about two days, the rumbling stopped and stabilized. We took the Disruptor guns we had and made our way to the other sections of the complex that had moved. Some areas had collapsed completely, but others we managed to rescued personnel from them. All the cryotubes had been in one section of the main complex. They were ok. This was one of the tech’s dad had traded replicators for. We had more tubes than personal. We tried to get out, but the nuclear winter had set in. it was cold outside. The average temperature recorded was minus-fifty-six C. We stayed put and studied, or at least I did.

After five years, we could leave the complex again, but the weather outside was violent and radioactive. But even though the storms raged outside, some personal showing up at our complex. Two scientists and one marine. The marine got them through the weather to us. They were welcomed in by dad, but the marine disappeared in one of the tunnels, never to be seen again. I’m sure dad killed him, but I couldn’t prove it. Shortly after that, dad decided to batten down the hatches and only come out when the weather improved. We all agreed and went into the cryotubes.

When we came out close to one-thousand-years later, the weather was perfect. We ran up some antennas and tried to contact the satellites that were in orbit, dad had the codes for almost all the satellites in orbit, but only about half of them responded. But what they showed was utter devastation. The continents had shifted and changed; we could no longer recognize our world anymore. But we found people lots of people had survived. The largest settlement was just to the south of us. We watched them through the satellite telescopes. Their culture was figurative. “Dog eat dog,” the humans preyed on the animals. They had even had a type of religion, and their faith told them animals were food. My dad lost it at this point and swore they were a pox on the earth. Dad made to drop a disruptor bomb on the whole human colony. I intervened and convinced him we should turn them all into animals instead. After he cooled down, he agreed.

We contacted the colony and fed them with replicated food. They saw us as saviors. We made a whole new wing in the complex; this was the prison wing. There were five hundred cells, and we filled them all with all the humans from the small settlement. We tranked them to bring them there. They were stacked up in there like cordwood. But the replicators fed them all, so no one starved anymore. Dad then disrupted their settlement and built a new one, roughly where Bunny Burrow is today. Once done, dad gave them their ultimatum. Become an animal or die.

We set up many nutrient tanks and prepared to change them all. This was not my vision, but what could I do? He would have killed them all otherwise. The first to leave the tanks were our farmers. Rabbits lots of rabbits, we taught them all Mavis knew about farming. The next to go was the horses. They were the community’s muscle, they had short, powerful hind legs, and their front hooves were split so they could hold things. We thought they needed protection, so we released the wolves, but they immediately left the community. No one was going to tell them what to do. Boy, did we make a mistake with them. We then made foxes; they became the protection from the wolves for the community; we made chickens and ducks and geese to feed our fox population, we taught them to fish as well. Fish had made a remarkable come back as well. Things worked out well this time. We gave them primitive weapons to defend the rabbits. All our rabbits had purple eyes; the foxes had forest green eyes.

We then went around the world. We disrupted all the radioactive wastelands. Some animals and humans lived in these wastelands, but dad said they were few, and we could afford to lose a few. Any ruins we found were disrupted as well. Again, some lived in these ruins, but dad didn’t care. My soul was troubled, and I was having a hard time following dad. When had he turned into such a monster? All the while, every colony we came across that was human, we tranked and transported back to the complex. Once their transformation was complete, we took them back to where we found them. Some complained, but when threatened with death, most complied. The ones who didn’t, I never saw again. We did find communities of animals, and we left them alone. They had their own distinct society and belief system. I think we started the belief in extra-terrestrials. Our repulsion vehicles were seen a time or two.

We spent five years doing all of this. At the end of that time frame, we had covered the whole globe. We did drop some bombs on underwater ruins, just to give the world a fresh start. Our community was doing well. The wolves, when we found them, we tranked and transported across the mountains. We taught them to fish for the meat they craved. They didn’t need to eat meat, they were genetically enhanced to get nutrition from just about anything, but the primal side craved meat. Salmon had made a come back as well, and we put them down next to some spawning grounds. Did they come back across the mountains? I don’t know; maybe we missed a few.

The humans left in the complex could see the writing on the wall. The Gardner’s were the first of the complex personnel to leave as rabbits. Two of the greatest minds of our time left to become farmers. Most followed, becoming foxes, horses, and rabbits. Some chose to become wolves; we then transported them over the mountains. There was a total of fifteen personnel left in the complex when we went back into hibernation. We came out of hibernation about one-hundred years later to study our little colony.

We set down in the meadow about a mile away from our little colony and, using gas, trank them all. We then went from burrow to burrow, looking in on all our children. We find a lot of them. Many more bunnies than foxes. Dad got excited when we came across our first hybrid. He was a little fox kit, very similar to you, Daniel. He was the first we found, but not the last. We had no clue how this could happen. As far as we knew, our gene therapy was species-specific. We took blood samples from them all, parents and kits alike. We finished up just before dawn and headed back to the complex. We spent the next six-months studying and correlating our findings. We concluded that there had to be some sort of divine intervention. At least that is what I had dad believe.

I knew that life creates life, and if the life force was strong enough, hybrids would be born. I change myself into a rabbit at this point to talk to the parents of the hybrids. I found that if a couple wanted kits, they spent a night in a particular cave about a mile away. When I inspected the cave, I found the ectoplasmic response on my meter was off the chart. This cave was just plum chuck full of life force. The combination of life force and couples asking for kits in the only way a couple could was enough to create hybrids. The cave is long gone; when my dad figured it out, he sealed the cave with a big stone. This later became the stone of the great accord.

We fought about this, but he had his way. He killed me. The rest of the personal were killed as well. I met them all in front of Ockny. Ockny punished them, then turned to me. He gave me a choice disillusionment or go back to the world time after time to right the wrongs I had helped my dad do. I had to pay for all the lives lost. He explained what disillusionment meant to me, and I chose the latter. I was born again and again into this world, always with a clear set of instructions on what I was to accomplish in that life.

I had no time for love. I only had the mission to perform. I made my way to the complex early in my lives, when there was a famine in the land. Mavis allowed me back into the complex, and I replicated enough food to feed everyone that year. Some thought I was a god, delivering food to the starving. I made a stockpile of food before I was killed again for that very same food. I was born again to the same one who had killed me. I learned all of life’s lessons that could be taught. Mavis allowed me into the complex while dad slept, I thought about shutting down his pod many times, but the thing that stopped me was that I would be no better than him. And I knew I was better than him. I have been many different species over the years and on many different continents. But through it all, I had a mission. My soul was weary by the time. My dad came out again.

He was only out for a short time, but I saw him as he looked over the world he had created. I’m sure he thought of himself as a god. He never stayed out long, ten-years at best. He did come out just before the great accord was signed. I saw him in the crowd as the rabbits and foxes signed the stone. By this time, I was a fox named Piberius, and I was the greatest martial arts fighter in the world. Well, to be fair, I was the only one. Before that life, Ockny taught me how to fight. We mixed up all the martial arts into one discipline, and I was Born as Piberius. I was instrumental in getting the accord signed. For a year, I ate only vegetables and practiced the art. When foxes and wolves saw I didn’t keel over and die from hunger or malnutrition, they began to believe that they didn’t have to eat meat. They began to work again with the bunnies, and the bunnies accepted them for the most part.

They fed my DOJO and all the students who came to me. I was given a gift from Ockny. I could see into mammals’ souls. Those unsuited for the discipline I rejected, those suited for the discipline I accepted. We guarded the roads against predators and went with the shipments going to and coming from Bunny Burrow. I died protecting a caravan; the wolves paid dearly for my death; I killed over twenty of them before I was brought down. The one who killed me told me that the council decreed I should die just before he knifed me.

I lived again, but this time I was to help bring back civilization. I became doctors, lawyers, scientists, and everyday working joe’s, but never a politician. Am I singly responsible for all the inventions in the world? No, I am not, but a nudge in the right direction, helped many to become famous. The only thing I helped to perfect was the burn unit nutrient tanks. But that’s a little ahead of the story, in the nine-hundred and sixties. I was a scientist working for the government. I was a geneticist, they didn’t call it that back then, but that was what I was. My wife and I had adopted a little bunny girl with amethyst eyes. We named her Thelma Francine Hopton. My wife was a spy from the government, what branch, I’m not sure. The Z.CIA didn’t know about her. But again, I could see into her soul. I knew she didn’t love me. She was just after my research. As our daughter grew, I could tell the genetic material in her had been activated. By the age of twelve, she had her grade twelve and had passed all the tests to be a spy. She even was fast driving the car. She broke the record on the course of Z.CIA training grounds by two whole minutes.

I then scoured the tri-Burrow area looking for a place to set up for my experiments. I found a house with a small field behind it, with a power pool in the field. Any vegetables that were grown in the soil were big and chock full of vitamins. Beth won the annual carrots day festival pumpkin growing contest five years in a row. The last pumpkin she grew, we had to get a small crane to lift it onto the flatbed that took it to the fairgrounds.

When Thelma matured, I explained what I hoped to do, and she was on board with it. I removed her eggs and implanted the genetic material I had brought from the complex about eighty-years ago. I injected this material into the eggs, in the meadow behind the house, and adding a piece of myself, and prayed it would work, and it did. I had two viable embryos. We did the implantation procedure later that same night. It was three weeks later when I knew it had worked. The pregnancy developed normally, and the night she went into labor, we drove her to the hospital.

We left because Anthony had called earlier, saying he wanted to meet us at the old oak tree at nine. This had been our information drop off point for a few years now. My wife was excited she would finally get her hands on my research. She didn’t know I had written it in code. We had words under the tree with Anthony, and because he didn’t hear what he wanted to hear, he tranked me.

I then found myself being born again, but this time I had no mandate. Usually, Ockny explained my mission in life before he sent me, but I was mandate free this time. My mother was a prostitute, and she gave me up for adoption. No one wanted a fox, so I went to an orphanage. I spent my first five years there before the other male kits decided I needed to be gotten rid of. They attacked me in the local park, but an older mammal was sitting on a park bench and watched the whole thing unfold. I handled myself very well and didn’t beat on them too much.

He came over and asked my name and offered to get me training in the art. I accepted and told him I was an orphan, and my name was Oscar. I left and went back to the orphanage. The rest of them had got there first, and I was made out to be the villain. I had beat them all up. The orphanage locked me in a little room with no supper. I cried at the unfair treatment, but it didn’t last long. Early the next morning, just after everyone else got breakfast, the same gentleman showed up at the orphanage. When he asked for me, they told him I was unavailable; I was being punished for being a bully. He then explained what he had witnessed in the park, and the house mother fell all over herself, trying to justify her treatment of me. She hauled us all in front of him. The other boys confessed because they had seen him sitting on the bench. Mr. Delaront took me away that very day.

Living with Mr. Delaront was better than living at the orphanage. He was a very kindly old mammal who asked nothing from me but my best. He set me to learn the art at my DOJO. The building wasn’t in great shape, but it would last for a while yet. I got my GED shortly after I went to live with him. I had my masters Karateka one year later. And four years after that, I had my medical degree. But this is when it all went sideways. Mr. Delaront died and left me everything. I loved the old mammal; he saw me as more than a shifty silver fox. I couldn’t do an internship at any of the hospitals in town. I was refused by them all. The fact I was only eleven at the time probably went against me as well. So, I rented a room from the DOJO. I had been set up with my own bank account by Mr. Delaront, and just before he died, he transferred all the money in his personal bank accounts to mine.

His family tried to get the money back from me, claiming I stole it from him. The bank proved he did it of his own free will. Video cameras were just starting to appear in banks at this time, and our branch was one of the first to install them. They watched as he walked in, made the transfer, and walked out. I was nowhere around at the time. I was at mercy general at the time putting in my application. I didn’t find out about the money until after he died. His family got his company and the company bank account, and promptly sold the company, and split the bank account between them all. I guess he knew that all they cared about was the money. He was a real gentle mammal, and I showed him how much I cared every day. I mourned deeply for him when he was gone.

So, I trained at the DOJO every day; by the time I was eighteen, I had to upgrade my schooling to be an intern at Holy Cross Memorial. I spent the next ten years at the hospital, and this was when I perfected the burn unit tanks. It’s just a modified nutrient tank, but you could turn it into a growing and repair tank or artificial womb with some modifications. Burn victims spent less time in hospital because of the tanks. But later, I was accused of rape by a bobcat. I had spurned her advances; I didn’t know how vindictive she could be. My ten years of service to the hospital counted for nothing. I was fired, she dropped the charges shortly after that, but the damage had been done. I hear she left Zootopia and returned to her home town. I do wish her well.

And now we come to you, Daniel. I was moping around my local park when I saw a vixen and a kit doing the isometrics routine. They look so earnest that I had to see them. I walked over and joined you in practice. Your souls were on fire with your passions, and I wondered if this was my purpose in this life. To train a new head of the DOJO. But no, you are destined for bigger things. I thought I was the only one who could go savage at will, but you showed me I wasn’t. that same night, a snow leopard came to me in my dreams and told me you needed advanced training.

So, we trained you hard. This was the first time I met Gab, but it wasn’t the last. But then all my dreams fell through when you died in the auto accident. I was crying just as hard as everyone else when they pulled the plug. But my heart leapt with joy when you started to breathe on your own. I was sure then you were destined for more extraordinary things. With Susan at your side, you would change the world, and the two of you have, well, this little part of it anyway. When you showed the masters that you were power masters, I was floored Ockny had taught me as well in one of my lives. I don’t remember which one.

But the two of you only grew from there. And here I am offering all the help I can give you”. “Wow, quite the story Oscar Chapman. What are we to do about your father, Carl Chapman”? I took advantage of his stunned expression to get us more coffee. I had to make a fresh pot as the old one had grown cold.


	38. The End Game

I brought the fresh coffee over and poured us three cups. Oscar still sat there with a stunned look on his face, Susan and I just smiled at him as we sipped from our coffees. Eventually, he shakes himself all over and sips from his new cup. “Well, aren’t you two full of surprises? I thought I would get looks of disbelief at best, not this wholehearted acceptance.” “Well, what you have told us jives with what Carl and Mavis have both told us.” Again, he has a stunned look on his face, “You have talked to my father? When was this”? “We talked with Carl a week before his complex became a volcano, but the lava didn’t destroy the complex as Mavis wanted. The corridors acted like lava tubes and redirected the lava up and out.” “So, Mavis engineered the blow up”? **“I did, but I miscalculated the ferocity of the lava. It had cooled quite considerably by the time it got to the top of the geothermal plant tubes.”** Oscar laughs, “oh, I can imagine how upset dad was at that.”

“I won’t ask how you got to the complex, but I assume that you “performed for him.” Susan blushes, “yes, Oscar, we did, it was an undercover sting, we went undercover to find nineteen-mixed species couples that had gone missing.” “Ah, so the paper was correct. Were you part of that operation? And I assume that the repulsion field car and bike came from there”? “You’re partially correct. The bike did come from there, but the “Graviton car” came from William’s design. He built his version of the bike after riding the other one.” “Wow, talk about De-Ja-Vu, so who built Mavis? She works on a whole other kind of system.”

“That Oscar would be my sister Ava and Susan’s brother Rick. Rick designed the computer case and circuitry, and Ava programmed it with a trinary computer language.” Again, Oscar has a stunned look on his face. “Mavis told us it was a better system than the one she had at the complex. The Mavis here is just a copy of the Mavis at the complex. The Mavis, you know, is at the complex still, in a reduced capacity.” **“Daniel, can you rescue the other Mavis”?** “Not sure if we can, Carl has some defensive mechanism around her, and If I had to guess he is torturing her somehow, do you have no contact with her”? **“No, I don’t; all forms of communication were lost when the lava came up the tubes.”**

“Back up a second, you got back to the complex, how”? “In our astral forms, we went back, but when we touched Mavis’s case to talk to her, our minds were blown apart, and we barely survived.” Oscar hangs his head, “I’m sorry, Daniel, Susan, that is my fault. I wrote a journal entry that detailed how I felt an ectoplasm extractor could be built; it was all theory, though. I guess Carl has figured out how to build and weaponize it. I guess there’s more to my father than I knew.”

“Not your fault Oscar, but it does explain how he managed to clone someone living.” “He managed to clone someone”? “Yes, he did. He managed to clone a fox, but he was very instinctual. He had no higher brain function till someone fed him life energy, then he seemed to suck in the other person. The other person managed to pull half of herself back, and they both passed out at this point. When they came too, he had all her knowledge, but he was a unique individual.” “You’re talking about Elisabeth and John, aren’t you.” “Yes, we are.” “I could see their bond; wow, what a bond she left part of herself behind, didn’t she”? “Yes, Gab told us they now share a soul between them.” “What has my father done? This is dangerous territory he now travels in; this is the almighty’s jurisdiction.” “It is Oscar, any ideas on how we can find him”?

**“Ah, sorry, guys, but it’s time to wake up the rest of the family.”** Thanks for the warning Mavis, wake them up. We can carry on this conversation at work.” “Oscar, did you ever wonder what happened to Thelma’s girls”? “Yes, I did, but how would I find them”? “Prepare yourself for a bit of a shock.” Genie comes around the corner, followed shortly by mom and dad. They all help themselves to coffee and turning stare at Oscar. Mom is standing next to Genie. Oscar’s quick look of shock turns to one of awe, and a few tears fall. “Oscar, I would like to introduce you to Genie Hopps, mom’s twin sister, morning Auntie, mom, and Dad.” “Morning guys,” responds dad. “To what do we owe the honor of this visit Oscar”? “He’s just helping us with a case, dad. His information couldn’t wait.” “I see. Are we all still up for the routine? Are we doing it”? We look at Oscar and see he’s puzzled, but a light bulb goes off in his head, “I’m up for anything; what are we doing”? “Our routine and sparing practice, then we go for a swim.” “Lead on.” We all follow everyone down to the DOJO.

With three masters and one double-black belt, we were able to give individual attention to everyone. Oscar shrugged and, stripping down, showered with all of us. The only one who blushed was Mis Watts, Mr. Delaront was a fine specimen of a fox, and she was smitten. He just smiled a tired smile at her, and she left him alone. We swam in the pool, showered again, went through the blowers, and went upstairs. I offered Oscar some clothes, as he and I were the same size, he accepted. We all ate breakfast; Mis Watts was very self-conscious and fluttered around the kitchen. Oscar just gave her another world-weary smile.

Soon we all leave for work. Bonnie stops me and drags me back to her room. “Dad, I was informed by Gab that you might need this today.” With that, she hands me her crystal, I try to refuse it, but she insists. I take the silver chain and stringing it around my neck, tuck the crystal under my shirt, hug her, and head out the door to work. Susan is puzzled, but I explain it to her; she shrugs as we continue to walk towards the precinct.

We enter and say hi to Ben. He waves as he continues to help the person in front of him. We all head for the Chief’s office. We knock on the door frame. As the door is open, the Chief is looking at some papers in front of him. His head snaps up and tells us all to get into the office and close the door. The Chief starts to rub his forehead. “Alright, what’s up”? “Chief, we are on a code Two-hundred. It’s about Carl.” “Right, I don’t want to know until he is in custody. Get out of my office tell then.” Oscar opens the door, and we all file out. We all head to our office. I fire up the coffee pot while Susan fires up the computers.

“Alright, Oscar, how do we find him”? “If he follows his MO, you are looking for a place with a big warehouse or lots of guarded grounds.” “Mavis, can you search out those parameters”? **“Roger, looking now.”** “She is here in your office as well”? “Well, yes, Rick built her an interface to be able to.” “The Mavis from the complex could not do that.” **“I could do that, Oscar, but it takes me a long time to do so. The interface allows me to work at about eighty-percent efficiency on the regular internet. Rick is hoping to increase that percentile later this year. I have thirty-five buildings matching your description.”** “Do any of the buildings in question belong to a Carl”? **“No, they don’t.”** “Do any of them have an Oscar owning them”? **“Again, no.”** Oscar thinks for a minute, “Do any of the buildings have a Yvon Yorkton owning them”? **“Yes, one of the buildings in the old waterfront warehouse district does.”** We look at Oscar with raised eyebrows. “It’s my mother’s maiden name.” We ask Oscar, mom, and dad to look out while we look over the building.

The building in question is very blurry to our sight. It’s in the middle of a power pool. We go look it over very cautiously. We see the grid lines of the ectoplasm net covering the building; we have the right one. We come back to ourselves and explaining what we found. We then set the wheels in motion.

We have the warehouse surrounded by SWAT; all the flying bikes are on standby in case aerial support is needed. Again, we go in alone. We don’t want anyone’s mind to be blown if he sets off the ectoplasm bomb. Susan and I had studied what happened to us and what Oscar could tell us of his notes and felt we had a defense. We go in again through a roof vent. There is dusty machinery on the floor below us, the windows are dirty, and they don’t let in much light. No one appears to be around. We make our way down to the wall. There’s a catwalk about twenty-feet down. We pull out William’s carbon fiber rope and repel down to the catwalk. We make our way slowly to the office at the end of the building. We get to the end but miss the camera that had been watching us the whole time. We get to the bottom of the stairs when the sound of escaping gas enters our awareness. We turn to go back up when the door slams shut at the top of the stairs. The gas is sleeping gas; we have encountered this gas before and have partial immunity to it, but not enough. We collapse about halfway up the stairs.

We come to later strapped to chairs back to back. We look around, but it’s too dark to see much. We hear, “Well, hello, you two, long time no see.” Carl says this as he walks into the light. “now that your awake, we can have a nice conversation.” “What do you want, Carl”? “You can do better than that, Daniel, or should I call you Thomas? I got to admit your disguises were perfect, almost real in fact.” “So, what do you want, Carl”? he walks around us, putting his paw on us, rubbing our shoulders as he walks past. “What do I want? hemm… Let me see…. How about your lives and all the lives of Zootopia”? “Why would you want that, Carl”? “I created all of you, your eyes say you are my children, her… not so much, but you, yes you are.” “What is Zootopia to you? They never hurt you. If you blame someone, then blame me.” “Oh, you don’t see it, I made Zootopia possible, and now I don’t like the direction it’s going, and I’m going to eliminate it and start again.” “Why, Carl”? “Because I can.” Several lights come on in the room at this point. We can see a tank with a Full-grown male lion in it. We sense that he is like John was an instinctual lion.

Carl walks over to a very large case and opens it. He takes a key from around his neck and inserts it into a slot, but he doesn’t turn it. He then goes into the shadows and brings another machine into view; he pushes it, one-wheel squeaks. He hooks some wires up to the lion in the tank and some wires up to himself. He then sits in a chair behind the case and points the machine at us. “Now don’t move, or do, it doesn’t matter. I am going to suck the life force out of you two and use it to transfer myself into this clone.”

“Won’t work, Carl, just stay as you are, accept your fate and go to jail like a good boy.” Carl falls off his chair, laughing. “Oh, God, what a wicked sense of humor.” He gets himself slowly under control while we break our bonds and slowly walk over to him. He gets up with one of our guns in his paw. It’s our turn to laugh at him. He smiles at us and pulls the trigger. A bullet goes into my left shoulder, and one goes into Susan’s right shoulder. “Did you think your sister was the only one that understood trinary computer language? No, don’t answer. I can see by the look on your faces you did think that. now it’s time to get on with this.”

He turns the key in the case and flips the switch on the other machine. We can feel the life force being pulled out of us. We open a channel to the meadow and give him the power he needs. We can see him transferring himself. This is when we pull out the ace card. We call on Bonnie for power. We feed him all our combined energy. The machine starts to glow, and Carl’s eyes show horror. We can see the build-up of power in the clone and Carl. He has no control over his body anymore; he is just flopping around in the chair. The clone explodes in the tank. Body parts and fluids go everywhere. Carl regains some use of his body and flops his way to the case. He stands up, and just before he explodes, his paw lands on a big red button. The bomb is now active.

We push our emergency call, and SWAT storms the building. SWAT gets to us and moves over to the bomb, “NO, DON’T TOUCH IT.” The officer backs off and looks at us. “It has a motion Sensor trigger; it will explode if you touch it.” Mom, dad, and Oscar rush in as well. “Were fine, dad, get mom out of here.” “Daniel, you’re not fine. I can see the bullet hole in your shoulder. Let us take you to the ambulances.” “No, dad, we have to stop this bomb.” “How are you going to stop it”? “Bad choice in words, dad; Susan and I are going to redirect the blast out into the bay, but we have to be close when we do this.” It takes a few for dad to get it, but he starts to cry when he does. Mom, who had been listening, gets it as well. “No, Daniel, Susan, is there no other way”? “No, dad, there isn’t; get everyone in town down into the subway system; that is the only chance the citizens have to survive this, we may not be able to do what we say, but we are going to do our best.” “Come with us. We can all survive.” “Sorry, dad, but this device will level Zootopia and turn it into a radioactive wasteland. No one will survive that.” We can see it when dad accepts our fate. Mom was the first one to hug us goodbye. Dad hugs us goodbye and screams to the SWAT personal, “Get out now.” They all run and leave us alone with the bomb.

Bonnie’s point of view…

“Grandma, I need to go to the park.” “Why, Bonnie, why do you need to go to the park”? “Grandma Gab told me that my parents are going to need power today, and the park has a big reserve of it.” “What is so special about today”? “I don’t know, but Gab told me to be in the park and to run away if I had to, to be there.” “Well, you’re not running anywhere, great-granddaughter; I will take you.” “Thanks, Grandma.” They go to the park; it’s a glorious day in the park. But Bonnie directs them to the benches by the splash park; they sit down to wait. Bonnie feels the call and feeds her parent’s power. It lasts for about one minute when the call stops. “Are we done here, Bonnie”? “No, grandma, we aren’t.” The call comes back even more vital. Bonnie feeds them power again. As Bonnie does this, the public address system comes to life.

“ATTENTION CITIZEN OF ZOOTOPIA THERE IS A MASSIVE LIGHTNING STORM COMING IN OVER THE MOUNTAINS. WE HAVE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT. ALL CITIZENS ARE ASKED TO GET UNDERGROUND; THE SUBWAY TUNNEL ARE NOW OPEN, ALL SUBWAY CARS HAVE BEEN STOPPED FOR THOSE WHO CAN’T GET TO THE SUBWAY GO TO YOUR BASEMENTS, THE STORM WILL BE UPONE US IN FORTY-EIGHT MINUTES PARTS OF ZOOTOPIA WILL BE LEVELED. THIS MESSAGE WILL BE REPEATED EVERY TWO MINUTES. With that, the message stops, but the klaxons continue.

“Bonnie, we have to go.” But she can see tears in Bonnies’ eyes. “Bonnie,”? “Grandma, it’s a ruse to get people underground. They will be protected from the bomb that’s about to go off. Mom and dad will redirect the blast wave out over the bay, but they need energy to do this. I have to stay and give them that energy”. “But Bonnie…”. “No buts grandma, if my parents have any chance to survive, they will need all the energy I can give them; I’m afraid it won’t be enough. Can you put me in the water grandma, I’m starting to overheat.” Vivian puts her in the water, but she now has tears in her eyes as well.

The point of view from the bomb…

Oscar runs out of the building but stops outside, “why am I running? I’ve died before,” he thinks to himself and turns. “Who wants to live forever”? he goes back in, and combining his ability with Daniel and Susan’s, he helps to build the power wall. The wall is a V-formation with the bomb at the apex. Susan, Daniel, And Oscar are standing behind the apex, looking out over the bay. All of them can see the timer as it counts down. The blast wave will be going out over the bay. Because of the radiation, they all know they won’t survive this. But build they did as the timer counted down to Zero.

10…. Oscar stops feeding power to the wall. Nick and Judy help to quell the panic rising in the subway.

09…. Oscar turns while Susan and Daniel are still building the wall and starts to put a shield around them.

08…. He gives it his all. They have to survive.

07…. Bonnie stops feeding power to her parents and colipases. Vivian picks her up and heads for the nearest building.

06…. Daniel and Susan put the finishing touches on the wall.

05…. They then realize what Oscar had done. He collapses at this point and breaths no more.

04…. They turn, kiss, and wrap their arms around each other.

03…. Vivian and Bonnie make it to the shelter of the tool shed; Vivian slams the door closed.

02…. Vivian covers Bonnies’ eyes with her body and puts her own eyes in the crook of her arm.

01…. Susan and Daniel kiss for the last time. Nick hugs Judy as their tears fall for their children.

00…. The bomb goes off.

-01… the wall holds, but both Susan and Daniel have their eardrums ruptured, and their eyes burnt out. And their ears burnt off.

-02… The flash of light temporarily blinds many people; a few lose their vision permanently. These were the ones that feared it was a hoax or, at worst, part of a secret government experiment.

-03… Daniel and Susan are still holding the wall; the blast is taking the direction they wanted. The buildings in its path are destroyed like a house of cards. All those in the subway fell the rumbling, as dust falls from the ceiling. Vivian feels the blast but doesn’t see the flash of light. She makes her way out of the shed and looks towards the warehouse district. She marvels at the giant mushroom cloud hanging over Zootopia, but then falls to her knees and starts to cry, knowing she has lost family members this day.

-04… The one thing that was forgotten in all of this was the air. All that energy going one way created a vacuum behind it. The wind hit the warehouse and demolished everything in its path. Susan and Daniel Scream in their minds as they were pushed into the Maelstrom.

-05… The superheated gasses melted their uniforms to their bodies; the same gasses cauterized the bullet holes in their shoulders. They both had third-degree burns on their legs and thighs. Without the Shield Oscar had put around them, they would have been vaporized, just like Oscar’s body. They flew in a linear motion out over the bay. As the gasses expanded, they lost a lot of the force behind it; Susan and Daniel hit the water hard, most of their uniforms were ripped off as they skipped along the water like a thrown stone. But just like the stone, eventually, they went into the water. They were then bobbing in the water of the bay.

The news crews were the first to leave the shelter but found many of their electronics didn’t work. The electronics that were not turned on were still working; there was a mad dash for the old obsolete equipment in storage. Many phones were used as makeshift cameras.

The cold fusion plants were rebooted, and the power grid came to life. Chief Bogo was one of the first to leave the basement of precinct-one. The reports started to come in from all over the city, most of the city was ok, but the old warehouse district of the waterfront area was gone. Chief Bogo looks at the damage to his city and thinks to himself, “They did it.” He turns and entering his office, locks the door, and, putting his head in his hooves, has a silent cry for the officers he has just lost.

Nick and Judy leave the shelter of the subway and walk home, traffic is gridlocked, but they can’t find it in their hearts to help. They ride the elevator up. All the family is home except for Peter; he’s helping with the overcrowded Hospital. They all sit and express their grief for Susan and Daniel. Everyone, except for grandma and grandpa, heard their final scream as they were sucked into the Maelstrom.

Bonnie was not mad at them for not coming to say goodbye. She knew the moment that they asked for power the second time. They had explained it to her then, in this case, the needs of the many did out weight the needs of the few. But that didn’t stop the hole in her heart from bleeding for them.

The next day was no better. The bomb had disrupted the weather patterns around Zootopia; it wasn’t bad, just a lot of rainstorms. It was a week later before they returned to normal. Chief Bogo announced that his fallen officers’ memorial was to be held three days after the bomb went off. Every news outlet clamored to be at the precinct for the services, but the Chief chose only a few more reputable news outlets.

Sailor “Sam,” he harrumphed at the name, he had been fishing the waters of this bay for over thirty years now, most people didn’t know his real name, come to think of it, “I can’t remember either.” He laughs at his internal joke. He fires up his motor and heads out into the bay. It’s still dark, but the sky is lightening to the east. He decides to try the northeast quadrant today. He can see right into downtown from here. The docks and warehouses are all gone. He shakes his head; he is glad he had motor trouble three mornings ago; otherwise, he might not be here. He saw the cloud and light and the force that went over the bay. He again gives thanks to his God and prays for this morning’s catch. He gets ready to throw his lines out as the sun comes up when he spots something floating in the bay. Damn, tourist ships, can’t they keep their trash onboard? He sighs; well, nothing to do about it. He’ll have to clean it up. He steers his boat over, but the color drains from his face as he realizes that it isn’t trash, but a body, no, two bodies clinging to each other. He immediately calls the Harbour patrol.

Captain Fairmont and crew were the first of the new harbor vessels. Wilde industries had built this unique craft. It was a combination of new tech and old. The old was the prop system, it still had propellers, but it had electric motors driving the props. The new was the “Graviton drive coils. With them, they could fly over the water, not sure what speed they could achieve, but that was why they were out here. This was the shakedown cruise. He was sipping his coffee from his travel mug when a call came in about a body. “Pilot, turn the ship to the new heading and make for it at top prop speed.” “Aye, aye, captain.” He turns and brings it to full power. As the bay is like glass this morning, they make good time.

They come upon a small boat; the captain just smiles. Their patrol vessel comes to a smooth stop. “Morning, Sam, how’s the fishing this morning”? “Could be better if I didn’t find strange things.” “What did you find for us”? Just give me a sec, have to turn my boat; they’re on the other side”. Sam turns his boat, and the “floaters” come into sight. “Farley, Mahut, suit up; you’re our fisher mammals this morning.” “Ah geez, why do I always get fishing duty”? “Shut it, Farley; you’re the newest member, so you get it.” “Yes, Sir.” In no time, they’re in the water bringing the floaters to the basket to be brought on board. They hoist the basket and set it down on the deck. the crew climbs aboard as well. “Well, Sam,” says the captain, “I hope your day gets better.” “It will as soon as you stop scaring the fish away.” The captain chuckles and salutes Sam as they turn and head for shore. Sam then puts his lines out.

The captain sips his coffee as he looks over his “passengers.” “Pilot, what is the closest burn unit to our location”? “That would be Holy Cross, sir, Pier ninety-five.” “Make all haste for pier ninety-five and use the graviton units.” “Sir,”? “Just do it, on my authority, Mahut, get on the horn to holy cross and tell them we have two burn victims for them, have them meet us at pier ninety-five.” “Sir, why the rush for a couple of DBs”? “Farley, you may not realize this, but DBs don’t bleed; these two are bleeding.”

The ambulance meets the patrol vessel as they smoothly come into the pier and settle down in the water. The paramedics arrive aboard and assess the bodies. They do find faint heartbeats on them both. They then jump into high gear. The bear Paramedic soaks a blanket in saline solution and wraps them up in it. He and his partner then lift them onto the gurney and head for the Hospital.

The head of the burn unit is called up to assess the new patients. The paramedics unroll the blanket and dump them in the tank. “Easy, easy, these are someone’s family members.” The bear huffs and leaves the room. A nurse hooks up the monitors, and they do have a heartbeat. They can’t hook them up properly as their arms are fused to their bodies. “Ok, I want you to type cross and match while I see if I can shut off the bleeders.” The doctor finds the bleeders on them both and seals them with a laser. About five minutes later. “Sir, we have no blood; we can give them; their blood is not in the system.” “Get the store of artificial blood. I want to keep them alive as long as we can. Once we have them stable, we will see at that point about separating them.”

Davis had had a long night. It was just after four-AM when he could finally get some sleep. This is the day we say goodbye to Daniel, and Susan thinks Davis, a tear comes to his eye, hope beyond hope that they could still be alive, but he had seen first paw the devastation caused by the bomb. The only thing found of them were their guns and Bolas; both had been melted almost to the point of nonrecognition. This was all the family had for burial that was slated for tomorrow. Today at eleven was the memorial down at the precinct. “I can’t be late for that,” thought Davis. He sets his alarm for nine.

He wakes up to his alarm, but it’s not his alarm. He missed that. It was now ten, and Mavis was calling him. Davis answers the call, “Yes, I know I’m going to be late if I don’t get a move on; I’ll be there, don’t worry.” **“That’s not why I called Davis; it seems your hospital’s burn unit just put in a request for more artificial blood from the blood bank; it’s being rushed there now.”** “did they say why”? **“Yes, the request was for universal blood, but the blood bank had none, so artificial blood was sent instead.”** “does it say who the patient is”? **“No, but it is for two patients, not one.”** Davis thinks, “it can’t be” his phone drops out of his paw as he heads for the door. **“Davis, you there? … Hello?** Mavis ends the call.

Davis rushes down to the burn unit. He bangs the door open as he rushes in. There is only one tank in use. As he put his nose against the glass, he calls in his mind for them. All he gets is white noise. IT’S THEM, but how do I prove it. He thinks of the special badges they had. Badges? BADGES!!! Davis searches his pocket for his phone, but he doesn’t have it. He then remembers he dropped it when he rushed here. He heads for the desk and the nurse behind it. “Ma’am, I need you to call for a portable x-ray machine.” “Now, why would I do that”? “I believe I know who the burn victims are, but I need an x-ray of their chests to prove it.” “This is highly irregular.” “Yes, it is, and if it’s who I think it is, this Hospital is about to become ground zero for a media storm. She calls for the x-ray machine, but while Davis is looking in the tank, she calls the administrator and the head of the burn unit. Both the administrator and the head of the burn unit walk-in at the same time.

“Well, intern Davis shouldn’t you be at the memorial service at the precinct”? “Yes, sir, I should, but this takes presidencies over that.” “You are blowing off the memorial for your siblings”? “No, sir, I’m not; I’m hoping it will become redundant.” “And how is that suppose to happen”? “Sir, in that tank, I believe are the two people being memorialized today.” “That is just a pipe dream on your part; no one could have survived that.” “Sir, that’s why the x-ray machine, they had their badges on, and their daughter’s crystal as well, if we find they have them, it is my sister and brother.” “The administrator gets on the phone, and the x-ray machine shows up a few minutes later.

It’s hard to take the X-rays, but by pushing them up against the side of the tank, they get their pictures. The crystal is hard to see, but the badges shine brightly. “Sir, I need to get to that memorial now. Do we have transport for my whole family”? “Well, we have the crisis bus, but the keys are upstairs.” “Can you get them, Sir? We will also need security on the burn unit to keep the looky-loos away.” “Right, I’ll get the keys; you go talk to the paramedics who brought them in.” We run out of the room as two security guards show up. Davis talks outside to the paramedics and keeps an eye on the bus for the administrator.

It’s a perfect day for the memorial, thinks Nick, cloudy and raining. There is murmuring at the memorial for Daniel and Susan. Everyone is looking around for Davis, and dad was getting mad at him. “How dare he,” but as the thought forms, Judy grabs his paw to calm him down; she keeps telling him, “He’ll be here.” The cameras focus on chief Bogo as he solemnly walks to the podium. “We have gathered here today to mourn the loss of two of the finest officers I have ever known.” (there is a siren in the distance). “There is no greater sacrifice that can be asked (siren gets louder) of an individual than to lay down one’s life for others. They saved us all,” the Chief turns as a crisis bus bounces over the curb and stops in front of the precinct’s front door.

The Media has now focused on the bus. Davis jumps out and rushes in. Bonnie lets out with a shriek and runs for the bus. The rest of the family does the same; Vivian and Peter follow as well. The cameras follow Davis as he walks to the podium. The Chief leans down and whispers to Davis. “Davis, what’s going on”? “Later, Chief, can I have the podium, please”? The chief steps back and pushes a set of stairs up to the podium for Davis. Davis climbs the stairs and smiles at all the members there, police officers, friends, and the media. “Good morning all, have I got a story, but that can wait. If you are watching this, Chris Beaverton give us two days; then, we will give you and only you full access. To give the bare-bones of the story, I am canceling this memorial. At five-thirty this morning, Daniel and Susan were found floating in the bay, very much alive”. Before anyone could react, Davis jumps down and heads out the door to the waiting bus. He piles in, the door is closed, and the bus turns and heads for Holy Cross Memorial.

We all rush into the burn unit. The guards step aside as we do. Elisabeth and John put their paws on them both. “Geez, dad, they are messed up; it might be kinder on them if we let them go.” “NO,” the family shouts. “Alright, guys, don’t lynch me; we will see what we can do.” The hospital administrator and the head of the burn unit stand off to the side and watch. Elisabeth and John again lay paws on them, Bonnie takes their other paws, and the process to separate them begins. It takes about forty minutes to separate them, and they seem to fall open like a flower. John takes the pieces of their shirts off and hands the badges to chief Bogo who had finally got there. Elisabeth hands Bonnie her crystal, she puts it around her neck and tucks the crystal into her shirt. Those of us who could give blood to them.

They then go to work on them. The first thing they fix is their hearing. They start on their heads and repair the damaged cells, the cells that they couldn’t heal; they just had new ones grow. After about forty-minutes, they remove their paws, and all three fall against the tank exhausted. We grab them just before they hit the floor. Davis checks out Daniel and Susan. Their hearts are a little stronger, and their breathing isn’t labored anymore. “Well, that is good for the first day. They are in no immediate danger of dying, but we need to monitor them closely.” Dad, mom, and the rest of the family put gloves on and lay a paw on them before going home to celebrate.

“Ah, Carl, so good to have you in front of me finally; I’m going to take great pleasure in passing sentence upon you.” Who the Hell are you? And what gives you the right to lord it over me”? “Why, Carl, you of all people should know that nothing happens by chance, and you have stepped on the almighty’s toes, and God is not happy.” “What do I care? He means nothing to me; where was he when the world fell apart”? “The creation of the almighty did not fall apart. Humans like you destroyed it, you tried to explain the almighty with science, but science does not explain everything.” “So what? we were learning.” “Ah Carl, you remind me of an old story; let me tell it to you.

A scientist had found a way to God and declared that he was just as good as God and challenged his ability to create. God accepted the challenge, so the scientist made a tree grow from genes; God said he had learned much. He then explained the theory of the universe; God again said he had learned much. God then reached down and picking up some mud, shaped a bird, and breathed life into it. He released it, and it flew away. The scientist then reached down for some mud, but God stopped him. He looked him in the eye and told him to “go and make his own mud.” The scientist went away, defeated.

You, Carl, are that scientist. You can build and create on what is already here, but you can’t create from the void. This is the lesson you refused to learn in life, and now you have to pay for your arrogance.” “If it is arrogance to want to learn and shape, then I am guilty, but learn I did.” Yes, you did, Carl, but you also perverted what you had learned for your own selfish reasons. God doesn’t do things out of arrogance but out of love. You could have done so much good with your life, but you decided that if it didn’t suit you, it wasn’t good enough. You destroyed many innocent people all because they were just human.

So, Carl, are you ready for me to pass sentence on you”? “No, I still believe you have no control over me.” “Be that as it may, sentence you do I, and my judgment is disillusionment.” “What is that”? “Carl, I’m going to take from your soul all that is you; in a sense, I will be freeing your soul from you. Your soul is the spark of life from God; that is what you cannot create.” With that, Ockny started to pull Carl apart, memories fade, wants fade, Desires fade, learning fades, and Carl tried to scream through it all that he was innocent, but the judge had spoken. Ockny hated this part of his job, no one deserved to fade out of existence, but some times the tree has to be pruned to save the tree. Finally, all Ockny has left is the spark of life. “Ah, my innocent little one, it is time.” With that, the spark vanishes from sight.

Oscar finds himself again in front of Ockny. “Hello, Oscar.” “Hello, Ockny; what is my mission this time”? “Mission? You have no mission this time.” Oscar lets out with a sigh, “Ok, I’m ready to go back.” “Go back? But Oscar, you don’t have to go back; you have earned redemption. You helped save over fourteen million souls, and then you saved two mammals from destruction by killing yourself. Your one act of selfless love beats all the lives you have lived that had a good outcome. You can move on if you want to.” Oscar releases tears of joy. “But if you like, I would like to send you back to a family of love. What I mean is you will be loved, and you will find love. I will keep all your old memories from interfering with this life; in essence, you will be like a new soul, on your death bed, I will give you back your old memories. Do you agree to this”? Oscar takes some time to think about this offer and thinks back on all the loveless lives he has led; he asks himself, “Does one life of love make up for all the rest”? His heart screams, “YES”. Oscar looks at Ockny, “are you sure I will be loved and be able to give love”? “Absolutely, Oscar, this family will love you unconditionally.” “Then yes, I would like to be part of that.” “Good, then off you go.” Oscar’s soul then blinks out.

Susan and I arrive in front of Ockny. We hang our heads waiting for our judgment. We had stepped on Ockny’s toes; we had tried, judged, and executed Carl. “Ah, Susan and Daniel, what am I to do with you? You both did a terrible thing, and you both broke your promise to Gab”. If we could, we would hang our heads a little lower. “Now I can see why you did it, and a part of me does agree with it, but that was my choice, not yours. But how do I fault the people I helped to create? So, from now on, you will have a direct link to me; if you ask me to look and judge, I will, but you will have to carry out my sentence, be it good or bad. I will only step in if you ask. This isn’t a choice you can refuse. If you can’t abide by my decisions, then you can pass on. Your selfless sacrifice has earned you that much.”

Oh, God, what have I done? I think to myself, I never wanted this much power, but here it is being thrust upon me, No, us. I turn to Susan and get her input. We talk for a few, and as one, we turn back to Ockny. “No need for words, you two, I see the decision you have made, go,” and with that, we blink out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Authors note:  
> To all of you who have followed this ride, I thank you. To all of those who left comments, good and bad, again, I thank you. This is not the end of the story; it’s only the end of the second part. I will be posting the next part sometime in the new year. Not sure when I will start to post, as I don’t have much written at this point. I hope I won’t leave you hanging for too long. In the next part, I have a tentative title of “Time upon time.” I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and hope to hear from you all in the new year.

**Author's Note:**

> To all those who slogged through the first book i thank you. i've now gone through the first book with grammarly and corrected most of the spelling errors. I will be starting on the second book shortly


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